Dangote Refinery denies filling new case against NNPC, others

Abdullateef Fowewe

Dangote Refinery has refuted claims that it began new legal action against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other companies regarding import licenses.

The clarification follows recent reports suggesting that the Refinery had filed a lawsuit to invalidate import licenses granted to the NNPC and others.

Dangote Refinery in a statement late Monday by its Group Chief Branding and Communication Officer, Anthony Chiejina, dismissed the reports as untrue, elucidating that the issue originated in June and resulted in a case filed on September 6, 2024.

Chiejina stated further that President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the crude oil-for-naira initiative has since rendered the matter outdated.

The statement reads, “This is an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 6, 2024.

“Currently, the parties are in discussion since President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Crude Oil and Refined products sales in the 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.

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 will be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court.”