Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a fresh lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria and the country’s downstream regulator in a renewed effort to challenge fuel import licences issued to marketers and the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company.
Last July, Dangote Refinery withdrew its N100 billion ($66 million) lawsuit against Nigeria’s petroleum regulator and several fuel importers, including NNPC Ltd. The refinery had argued that authorities continued issuing import licences for products such as Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and Jet A1 aviation fuel despite the existence of local refining capacity.
Court documents show the refinery is now seeking to overturn import permits granted or renewed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), arguing that the approvals violate an earlier court order directing parties to maintain the status quo, Reuters reported.
The case marks a resurgence of tensions nearly a year after the refinery withdrew a similar suit seeking to invalidate import licences issued to NNPC and several fuel traders.
Dangote Refinery argued in the new filing that the latest permits, issued this month, undermine its operations and breach provisions of Nigerian law, which it says only allow imports when the domestic fuel supply is insufficient.
