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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Nigerian government and its agencies of deliberate sabotage by withholding adequate crude oil supplies, prompting a swift objection from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
In an affidavit filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the refinery alleged that the NNPCL deliberately neglects its supply obligations to undermine the multi-billion-dollar investment.
The company sought an urgent interim injunction to halt the issuance and renewal of petroleum import licences, warning that the government’s actions threaten its survival and risk causing massive job losses.
The NNPCL strongly refuted the allegations of sabotage and announced it will file a preliminary objection to challenge the competence of the suit.
The state oil company asserted that government agencies have not frustrated the refinery’s operations in any manner.
Instead, the NNPCL countered that the legal action is premature and argued that Dangote Refinery already sells its petroleum products at high, fluctuating prices dictated entirely by its own commercial interests.
According to the refinery, the current shortfall forces it to buy most of its crude from international traders at elevated premium prices.
The company disclosed that it receives only five crude oil cargoes per month from the NNPCL, which is less than half of the 13 cargoes required to run at full capacity.
Furthermore, the refinery claimed that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) violates the Petroleum Industry Act by continuing to issue import licences to rival marketing firms despite domestic production exceeding national demand.
