Aliko Dangote’s fuel import battle faces a new twist as Nigerian court backs three rival marketers

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on Monday, 28 September, that Matrix Energy, AA Rano and AYM Shafa are entitled to receive or renew licences if they meet the applicable statutory and regulatory conditions. The order covers related permits and authorisations for their petroleum businesses.

The ruling followed a case brought by the marketers against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, or NMDPRA.

They argued that the regulator’s handling of their applications had restricted their ability to import fuel.

The judge found that the regulator’s refusal to issue or renew the companies’ licences did not comply with the Petroleum Industry Act.

He also pointed to provisions requiring the regulator to promote competition and prevent the abuse of dominant positions in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum markets.

The order does not strip the NMDPRA of its licensing powers. An account of the judgment by ⁠Premium Times⁠ says the authority retains the power to grant, change, suspend or cancel licences, while the three firms must still satisfy its lawful conditions.

In an affidavit filed in June, an AA Rano executive said the regulator had issued or renewed licences for the three companies only sporadically since July 2025.

He also claimed they had invested more than $20 billion combined in infrastructure, logistics and retail networks. That investment figure is the companies’ claim in their court filing, rather than an independently verified total.

Why Dangote is part of the story

The judgment lands in the middle of a broader contest over who supplies Nigeria’s fuel market. Dangote’s refinery, which has an installed capacity of 650,000 barrels a day, was built to reduce the country’s long dependence on imported refined products.

The refinery has argued in a separate case that import licences should be issued only when domestic production cannot meet demand.

The marketers argue that continued access to imports protects competition and supply. That leaves a question with consequences beyond the courtroom: how Nigeria supports its growing refining industry while keeping enough fuel available and maintaining competition among suppliers.

The publication reported that the permits covered about 830,000 tonnes across multiple companies; that is an approval figure, not evidence that the full volume has arrived.

Monday’s Abuja ruling concerns the regulator’s treatment of these three marketers’ applications. It should not be read as a final judgment on Dangote’s separate challenge, or as permission to import without meeting the conditions set by law.