Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a N100 billion lawsuit instituted by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other respondents over the issuance of fuel import licences.
Justice Mohammed Umar dismissed the suit after counsel to the refinery, C.O. Adegbe, opted to withdraw the case.
Following the withdrawal, lawyers representing the defendants made an oral application seeking the dismissal, which the court granted.
The defendants listed in the suit were the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPCL, AYM Shafa Limited, A.A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
Dangote Refinery had sought an order invalidating the import licences issued by NMDPRA to NNPCL and the oil marketing firms, arguing that the continued issuance of such approvals undermined domestic refining.
The company also demanded N100 billion in damages.
In a related development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed plans by the company to raise its stake in the Dangote Refinery to 20 per cent.
Mr Ojulari, who spoke at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), explained that the move formed part of the company’s corporate restructuring ahead of a future initial public offering (IPO), in line with provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act.
Meanwhile, members of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) staged a protest in Benin City, Edo State, urging the Federal Government to safeguard the operations of the Dangote Refinery.
The protesters, led by NAPS National President, Comrade Eshiofune Paul Oghayan, described the refinery as a strategic national asset capable of stabilising fuel supply, reducing foreign exchange pressures, and strengthening the naira.
Comrade Oghayan claimed that vested interests within PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN) were allegedly collaborating with fuel importation cartels to frustrate local refining efforts.
He called on the Federal Government to ensure steady crude supply and prioritise the use of locally refined petroleum products across key sectors including transport, defence, aviation, power and public institutions.
The association also urged the administration to take stronger measures to reduce fuel importation, arguing that full-scale domestic refining remained essential for sustainable economic recovery.
