Business

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

Published

1 year ago

March 19, 2025

679 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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Business

Naira Exchange Rates Friday, August 21

Published

41 minutes ago

August 21, 2026

OCHEFA

7 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

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

Great British Pound(GBP) Buy ₦1,890 Sell: ₦1,915

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1,590 Sell ₦1,610

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Buy ₦1,020 Sell ₦1,080

South African Rand (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90Ghana CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110

West African CFA Buy ₦2, 300 Sell ₦2, 400

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

CBN Exchange Rates

US Dollar (USD) ₦1,374.63

Great British Pound (GBP) ₦1,838.70

EURO (EUR) ₦1,574.97

Swiss Franc (CHF) ₦1,687.70

Chinese Yuan (CNY) ₦200.42

Japanese Yen (Yen) ₦8.49

West African CFA (XOF) ₦2.37

West African Unit Account (WAUA) ₦1,848.41

Saudi Riyal (SAR) ₦358.91

South African Rand (ZAR) ₦83.35

Business

12-years after, US clears Nigerian vessels to land at its ports

Oyetola said that removal of the restriction by the USCG followed years of effort by Nigeria to meet international maritime security standards, particularly through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Published

1 day ago

August 20, 2026

OCHEFA

22 Views

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, announced that the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has removed the Condition of Entry (CoE) imposed on Nigerian vessels from docking at its ports.

The CoE was first imposed in June 2014. Under the restriction, any vessel that had docked at designated Nigerian ports within its previous five port calls was required to meet additional security and documentation requirements before entering US waters.

The removal means those extra requirements no longer apply.Four USCG assessments between 2024 and 2026

He pointed to the country’s compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code as central to the case presented to US authorities.

The USCG carried out four separate assessments of Nigeria’s ports and maritime security framework between March 2024 and April 2026.

The inspections took place in March 2024, April 2024, March 2025 and April 2026. The government said each review recorded measurable progress.