Operators Kick Against Fuel Imports As Court Orders NMDPRA To Keep Licensing 3 Marketers

BY OLAKUNLE OLASANMI, Abuja AND CHIKA IZUORA, Lagos
Operators in Nigeria’s upstream and downstream petroleum sectors have kicked against the continued importation of petrol following a court order directing the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to continue granting import licences to three oil marketers.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the 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.
The court made the order in its judgment on Monday, holding that the NMDPRA’s refusal to issue licences to the three oi...