The House of Representatives rejected a Motion to suspend the alleged petrol import license of Dangote Refinery as the sole importer of petrol in the country.
During the session, a House member, Ghali Tijjani urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to expand the importation option to other capable importers, despite NNPCL’s denial of the claim.
Recall that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA) recently announced that starting from July 2023, three unnamed companies will begin importing petrol into Nigeria, marking a shift from the NNPCL’s exclusive importing status.
During the second plenary session of the 10th House of Representatives yesterday, an attempt to suspend the license granted to Dangote Refinery as the exclusive importer of petrol in Nigeria was rejected.
The Reps. Member, Tijjani, called on the NNPCL to suspend the license and allow other qualified importers to participate, despite the company’s denial of the allegation.
However, the Motion was voted against by the lawmakers.
Recall that there have been recent claims that the NNPCL granted a petrol importation license to Dangote Refinery. However, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) does not authorise the NNPCL to issue licenses.
The NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, recently clarified that licenses are issued by regulatory bodies, not the NNPCL. He emphasised that the NNPCL is a limited liability company and cannot grant licenses.
Dangote Refinery is identified as a partner of the NNPCL. The regulatory authorities responsible for licensing in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry are the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The NMDPRA stated that the NNPCL has agreed to reduce its petrol import volume to create opportunities for other industry players.
An attempt was made to reach out to the NMDPRA for verification of the claim that a petrol import license was issued to Dangote Refinery, however, they were unavailable for comment.
