Marketers Ask Court to Dismiss Dangote Refinery’s Suit On Oil Import Licences

The Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged by three Oil marketers to dismiss a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.

The Oil marketers had in response to Dangote Refinery’s originating summons, submitted to Justice Inyang Ekwo, that granting the application of Dangote Refinery would spell doom for the country’s oil sector and the economy.

The three marketers; AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, in their responses, said the Plaintiff did not produce adequate petroleum products for the daily consumption of Nigerians, and that there is nothing placed before the Court to prove the contrary.

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

Dangote Refinery had sued the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) as 1st and 2nd defendants.

Also listed as 3rd to 7th defendants respectively in the originating summons dated September 6, 2024 are AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.

The Dangote Refinery in the suite, prayed the Court to declare that NMDPRA was in violation of Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing licenses for the importation of petroleum products.

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

After urging the court to declare that NMDPRA is in violation of its statutory responsibilities under the PIA for not encouraging local refineries such as the company, the marketers, told the Court that they are well qualified and entitled to be issued Import licences by NMDPRA to import petroleum products in Nigeria within the meaning of Section 317(9) of the PIA.

They said if Nigeria puts all her energy eggs in one basket by stopping importation of petroleum products and allowing the Plaintiff to be the sole producer and supplier of petroleum products in country, with liberty to determine the prices at which it supplies the products, the prices of petroleum products will continue to rise and energy security will elude Nigeria.

The Court has however fixed January 20, 2025 for report of settlement or service.

Editor: Ken Eseni