Nigeria’s Federal High Court has dismissed a suit filed by the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote refinery in November 2024 against the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd. (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Matrix Petroleum Services, AA Rano, AYM Shafa, T-Time Petroleum, and 2015 Petroleum.

According to Energy Focus Reports, the dismissal was carried out following a notice of discontinuance filed by Dangote after all entities in the case had joined issues.

The suit itself was initially filed as part of efforts to prevent the NMDPRA from issuing import licences and introducing 0.5% levies on imported products. It also aimed to reach an agreement that recognised Dangote as exempt from all Federal, State, and Local government taxes.

In the suit – filed before a federal court – CEO of Dangote Group Aliko Dangote revealed the number of problems he had faced in dealing with the country’s fuel importers and aimed to resolve the matter by seeking $58.8mn in damages from the NMDPRA for their decision to issue licences to allow for imports of refined products – a decision that ignored Dangote’s capacity to meet all domestic demand.

The CEO noted that this decision had “sabotaged” the refinery’s operations, as the NNPCL and marketers had continued to import refined products while leaving mostly identical fuel to sit in storage at the refinery. Dangote had previously told reporters after a meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu that he was expecting either the NNPCL or the marketers to stop importing: “They should come and pick [from Dangote Refinery] because we have what they need,” he said.

This comment was made after an attempt by the business mogul to ensure fuel imports would come to a close; however, the government responded by saying a monopoly would not work out well for the country.

Dangote also highlighted that he had around 500mn litres of refined product at the refinery at the time, which were ready to be sold at the local market, noting that storing the fuel was “costing me money every day”.

Notably, local refiners had previously tried to attach a clause to the petroleum industry law in 2021 that stipulated the government could only give import licences to those with local refining licences – such as Dangote, Waltersmith, Niger Delta Petroleum, or OPAC Refineries – however, the addition was quickly taken out before former president Muhammadu Buhari was able to sign it into law.