Business

Court dismisses NNPCL’s objection to Dangote Refinery’s suit on import licence

Published

1 year ago

March 19, 2025

620 Views

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the objection raised by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) against the competence of a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE (Dangote Refinery).

Dangote is seeking to void the licences issued by the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to some oil marketing companies to import refined petroleum products.

In its objection, the NNPCL challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit and urged the court to strike out its name from the suit on the grounds that it was not properly identified by the plaintiff.

It argued that the name, “Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited,” being its registered name with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), is not the one and the same entity the second defendant sued but the “Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation”.

Ruling yesterday, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that NNPCL’s objection was incompetent as it was filed in violation of Order 29 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules (FHCCPR), 2019.

Justice Ekwo also held that the NNPCL ought to have filed a defence in the form of a counter-affidavit to the plaintiff’s suit before raising an objection.

The judge averred that under the procedure in lieu of demurrer, any party is entitled to raise, by his pleading, any point of law, and that any point so raised may be disposed of by the trial court at trial or after the trial.

He explained that where a defendant seeks to challenge the jurisdiction of the court, it is the provision of Order 29 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules (FHCCPR), 2019, that would be applicable.Justice Ekwo added that the NNPCL failed to comply with the provision.

The judge held that the NNPCL, having not complied with the provisions of the FHCCPR 2019 could not be said to have filed a competent preliminary objection.

Related Topics:Court Dangote Featured NNPCL

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Naira Exchange Rates Thursday, 22 July

Published

4 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

OCHEFA

2 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1,405 Sell ₦1,410

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,880 Sell: ₦1,900

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1,580 Sell ₦1,600

CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,020 Sell ₦1,080

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90

UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370 CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦190 Sell ₦205

GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110

WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 300 Sell ₦2, 400

CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2,150 Sell 2,250

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900

CBN OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,369.63

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,833.12

EURO (EUR) ₦1,563.03

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,685.08

JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.40

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦202.21

WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2. 39

WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,867.90

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦366.36

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83.40

Business

President Tinubu Tasks Judicial Officers To Remain Abreast of Evolving Global Maritime Laws

President Tinubu made the call in Abuja during the 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges, organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

Published

17 hours ago

July 22, 2026

OCHEFA

24 Views

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday urged judges to continually update their knowledge on autonomous vessels, digital shipping, artificial intelligence-driven maritime operations, maritime security and evolving international environmental regulations.

Represented by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, President Tinubu lauded the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for initiating and sustaining the international seminar for judges.

He described it as one of Nigeria’s foremost platforms for strengthening maritime jurisprudence, enhancing judicial capacity and promoting excellence in maritime justice.

According to Oyetola , rapid technological advancement is creating unprecedented legal questions relating to liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations and allocation of responsibility when autonomous vessels malfunction.

He emphasised that the courts will increasingly adjudicate disputes involving decarbonisation, environmental compliance, blockchain-enabled cargo documentation, electronic bills of lading and other evolving international maritime legal frameworks.

“The emergence of autonomous vessels demands a judiciary equipped to resolve complex legal questions involving liability, insurance, navigation and technological accountability.

“Judicial officers must remain abreast of evolving international maritime law to ensure justice keeps pace with technological innovation,” he said.