The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, has filed a preliminary objection to challenge the suit that Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, filed to gain the sole right to supply petroleum products in the country.
The NNPCL, in the legal process it filed through its team of lawyers led by Mr Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, described as incompetent, the legal action that Dangote Refinery lodged to invalidate its licence to import refined petroleum products into the country.
The plaintiff (Dangote Refinery) had among other things, questioned the propriety of allowing the NNPCL and other key oil marketers to bring refined petroleum products into the country when it has not recorded any shortfall in its own operations.
Cited as defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, were; the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the NNPC and some major oil marketers that included AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
According to the plaintiff, the NMDPRA acted in breach of Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, by issuing licenses for the importation of petroleum products to the defendants.
It told the court that the licences were issued to the defendants, “despite the production of AGO and Jet-A1 that exceeds the current daily consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria by the Dangote Refinery.”
The plaintiff, therefore, prayed the court to award N100billion in damages against the NMDPRA for allegedly continuing to issue import licenses to NNPCL and the other defendants for the import of petroleum products such as Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Jet Fuel (aviation turbine fuel) into Nigeria.
Specifically, Dangote Refinery, among other things, applied for an order of injunction, restraining the 1st defendant (NMDPRA) from further issuing and/or renewing import licenses to the 2nd to 7th defendants or other companies for the purpose of importing petroleum products.
It further sought an order of court directing the 1st defendant to seal off all tank farms, storage facilities, warehouses, and stations used by the defendants for the storage of all refined petroleum products imported into Nigeria.