Nigeria’s state oil company, NNPC Limited, has accused Dangote Petroleum Refinery of attempting to restrict competition and push the country’s fuel market toward monopoly control by challenging import licences issued to rival marketers, according to court documents seen by Reuters.
In a proposed defence filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, NNPC argued that granting Dangote’s request to void or restrict fuel import permits would expose Africa’s largest oil producer to supply disruptions, price instability and heightened risks to national energy security.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has applied to join the case, broadening a legal dispute that now centers on import policy, regulatory discretion and Dangote’s role in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market.
The case comes months ahead of Dangote’s planned September IPO of its refinery business, raising uncertainty over market rules, import competition and the revenue outlook investors may assign to the 650,000-barrel-per-day facility.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery filed the lawsuit in April against Nigeria’s attorney general, challenging fuel import licences issued or renewed by the NMDPRA to marketers and NNPC. It argues the licences undermine local refining capacity and breach provisions of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act.
NNPC rejected the claim, stating that the law permits import licences for companies with refining operations or proven international trading capacity. It added that regulators retain discretion under Nigeria’s backward-integration policy and that no statutory ban exists on imports in the event of domestic supply gaps.
NNPC also said Dangote had not provided “credible, independent or verifiable evidence” that the refinery can meet Nigeria’s full fuel demand or ensure uninterrupted nationwide supply, according to the court filings.
