Dangote Returns to Court to Challenge Fuel Import Licences

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a fresh lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Lagos seeking to nullify fuel import licences recently issued to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and several fuel marketers.

The refinery said the permits breach an earlier court order and Nigerian law, which it interprets to allow imports only when domestic supply is insufficient — a contention supported by recent data showing a steep rise in local refining output.
Court documents filed by the mega‑refinery and cited by Reuters show Dangote wants the Lagos court to declare import permits issued or renewed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) invalid and to restrain the regulator and licence holders from importing petrol pending the suit’s determination.

The filing argues that the continued approval of import licences violates a status‑quo order issued in the ongoing litigation and threatens the refinery’s commercial operations as it ramps up output.
The legal move comes amid a marked shift in Nigeria’s fuel landscape.

NMDPRA and market data indicate petrol imports fell sharply in the first quarter of 2026, while supply from local refineries rose to roughly 3.18 billion litres.

Analysis by industry outlets showed petrol imports dropped to about 965.5 million litres in Q1 2026 from an estimated 2.43 billion litres in the same period of 2025 — a decline of about 60 per cent.

Domestic refineries accounted for about 76.7 per cent of total petrol supply in Q1 2026, up from 45.2 per cent a year earlier.

Dangote Group chairman Aliko Dangote has argued publicly that the refinery — billed as Africa’s largest single‑train facility — has sufficient capacity to meet national demand and export surplus volumes to neighbouring countries. The company also highlighted recent exports, saying it shipped multiple cargoes of refined products to other African markets in March.

Fuel marketers, however, have defended continued importation as necessary to safeguard supply and avoid shortages at service stations.

NNPC and the marketers named in the suit have not publicly detailed their immediate response to the new filing.

This is not the first legal tussle between Dangote Refinery and industry players over import licences.

Recall that in 2025 the refinery filed a similar suit seeking to set aside fuel import licences issued to NNPC and several marketing firms and also sought N100 billion in damages.

That case was discontinued unexpectedly in July 2025 when Dangote withdrew the suit without explanation.
Legal analysts say the current case could test the interpretation of regulatory powers and the threshold for “insufficiency” under Nigerian petroleum law.

If the court sides with Dangote, it could restrict the NMDPRA’s ability to issue permits when domestic supply is available, potentially reshaping market access for private importers.

A ruling for the defendants, by contrast, would affirm the regulator’s discretion to grant licences as a supply‑security measure.