The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to “continue to grant” petroleum products import licences to three major oil marketers—Matrix Energy, AA Rano, and AYM Shafa—in line with relevant laws.
Justice Inyang Ekwo made the order in his judgment on Monday, holding that the NMDPRA’s refusal to issue licences to the three oil marketers was in “direct non-compliance” with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Among other reliefs, the lawyers to the three companies, Raji Ahmed, SAN, and Chris Ekemezie, Esq., sought a declaration that the regime of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, does not outlaw or ban the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria and neither does it preclude or prohibit the NMDPRA from granting licences to eligible importers or renewing same for the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria.