Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has taken legal action against the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and some major importers in the oil and gas sector at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the suit number filed on monday , Dangote Refinery sought for 100 billion naira in damages from NMDPRA for continuing to issue licences for the importation of refined products such as Automotive Gas Oil and aviation fuel.
Dangote claimed the refinery’s production exceeded domestic consumption levels, rendering imports unnecessary.
But oil marketers kicked against this, stressing that the market had been deregulated and dealers were free to import the commodities or buy from the 20 billion dollar Lekki-based refinery.
However, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, noted that the Petroleum Industry Act permitted the NMDPRA to issue fuel import licenses to qualified companies.
Also reacting to the development, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said the market was now open following the removal of subsidies.
