Dangote Petroleum Refinery is suing the Nigerian government over the issuance of import licenses issued to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and four other companies for the purpose of importing refined petroleum products that are already being produced by Dangote without shortfalls.
In a lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Dangote Refinery is also seeking 100 billion Naira in damages from the industry regulator, NMDPRA, for allegedly continuing to issue these import licenses despite Dangote’s production capabilities.
The refinery argued that the import licenses are crippling its business, to which it has committed billions of dollars. They claim there is a conspiracy by international oil companies and others who are unhappy that Nigeria now has an indigenous refinery.
Dangote is seeking several court orders, including a ban on the regulator from issuing further import licenses and the sealing of storage facilities used for imported products.
The refinery also wants to be exempted from all federal, state, and local taxes and levies, as per its status as a free-zone enterprise.
