The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a fresh case at the Federal High Court in Lagos over fuel import licences granted to marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The refinery is challenging licences issued or renewed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. Court documents seen by Reuters showed the company is asking the court to cancel the permits, saying they go against an earlier court order and Nigeria’s petroleum laws.
The move comes months after Dangote Refinery withdrew a similar lawsuit against fuel import approvals issued to the NNPC and some fuel traders. That case ended without a public explanation.
In the new filing, the refinery argued that petrol import licences should only be approved when local supply cannot meet demand. It said the latest permits issued this month could affect its operations.
The NMDPRA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Fuel marketers and regulators have repeatedly defended petrol imports, saying they remain necessary to avoid supply shortages across the country.
Nigeria has depended on imported petrol for years because of poor output from state-owned refineries. The Dangote refinery, valued at about $20 billion and designed to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was expected to reduce that reliance after production began. Imports have continued as the facility increases output.
Ademide Adebayo
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