The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of the ₦100 billion suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other oil marketers over an import licence dispute.
The hearing will now hold on November 5, the court confirmed on Wednesday.
The case was initially listed before Justice Mohammed Umar, who was absent due to being assigned to the Enugu division. The adjournment allows the court to ensure that all parties are present and that the matter is properly heard.
Dangote’s suit seeks a declaration that the Nigerian Midstream And Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) acted in violation of Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act by issuing import licences while the company’s local refining capacity was operational. The refinery claims the licences issued to NNPCL and others undermined its ability to meet domestic demand.
The company is also demanding ₦100 billion in damages, asserting that the government’s allocation of import licences to other firms despite local refining capacity has negatively impacted its operations. A company spokesperson stated, “Our position is that the law clearly supports the use of local refinery output, and the issuance of import licences outside this framework causes avoidable losses.”
Defendants, including NNPCL, NMDPRA, and five other oil marketers, filed preliminary objections challenging the competence of the suit, alleging misidentification of the parties and questioning the court’s jurisdiction. The court has asked the parties to regularise their processes ahead of the new hearing date.
The matter, previously assigned to Justice Inyang Ekwo, has been fully reassigned to Justice Umar, who will now preside over the proceedings. The adjournment has been widely watched by industry stakeholders as it touches on the balance between domestic refining capacity and imported petroleum products.
