No fresh case filed against NNPCL, others – Dangote

Dangote Group says it has not filed any fresh case against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) or any other entity regarding the importation of refined petroleum products.

The statement became necessary following a report on Monday by an online newspaper that Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals had asked the Federal High Court Abuja to void import licenses issued to the NNPC, Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and four other companies for the purpose of importing refined petroleum products already being produced locally.

“This is an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 6, 2024,” Anthony Chiejina, chief branding and communication officer, Dangote Group, said in a statement seen by BusinessDay on Monday night.

“Currently, the parties are in discussion since the President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Crude Oil and Refined products sales in Naira Initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). We have made tremendous progress in that regard and events have overtaken this development,” Chiejina said.

“No party has been served with court processes and there is no intention of doing so. We have agreed to put a halt to the proceedings.
It is important to stress that no orders have been made and there are no adverse effects on any party. We understand that once the matter comes up in January 2025, we would be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court.”

Dangote Refinery faced several setbacks in its early days, including inability to source crude locally, culminating in a web of revelations regarding the import cabal making efforts to frustrate it. But this appears to have been resolved following the federal government’s decision to support the refinery. A report said Dangote Refinery will get 400,000 barrels of crude daily this month as naira-for-crude deal begins.