Import licence: Dangote refinery to amend suit against NNPCL, others

The Dangote refinery has sought to amend its suit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and others.

The plea to amend the suit followed an application by the NNPCL before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, urging the court to strike out the case for being incompetent on Monday, December 9, 2024.

The Dangote refinery had sued the NNPCL and the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Other defendants include AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.

The oil company, through its lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), prayed the court to nullify import licences issued by NMDPRA to the NNPCL and the five other companies to import refined petroleum products.

The Dangote refinery also prayed the court to declare that NMDPRA violated Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing licenses for the importation of petroleum products.

It stated that such licenses should only be issued in circumstances where there is a petroleum product shortfall.

It equally sought N100 billion in damages against NMDPRA for allegedly continuing to issue import licences to the NNPCL and the five companies for importing petrol.

But the NNPCL, in its preliminary objection dated and filed November 15, urged the court to strike out the suit.

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It argued that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC) sued by the Dangote refinery was a non-existent entity.

The company, through its lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), being its registered name with the Corporate Affairs Commission, is not the same as the defendant sued by the Dangote refinery.

“A simple search on the CAC website shows that there is no entity called ‘Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC),’” it said.

The NNPCL, therefore, stated that the defendant, as sued by the Dangote refinery in the instant suit, is not a competent party or a juristic person, urging the court to strike out its name or the suit in its entirety.

Three oil marketers also prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

According to them, the plan to monopolise the oil sector is a recipe for disaster in the country.

Justice Ekwo had fixed January 20, 2025, for a report of settlement or service.

The Star