Fuel Import: Abuja Court Ruling Opens Fresh Battle

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to continue issuing and renewing petroleum product import licences to three major oil marketers.

Justice Inyang Ekwo made the order on Monday, September 28, 2026, in a suit filed by Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano Nigeria Limited and AYM Shafa Limited against the NMDPRA. The court held that the regulator’s refusal to issue or renew the companies’ licences was inconsistent with provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act.

The judgment declared that the Petroleum Industry Act does not prohibit petroleum product imports or prevent the regulator from granting licences to eligible importers that meet statutory and regulatory requirements.

Justice Ekwo also held that relevant provisions of the PIA, together with competition laws, require the NMDPRA to promote competition in the midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.

The court consequently directed the regulator to continue granting, issuing, extending, renewing or reissuing import licences to the three companies, subject to compliance with applicable requirements.

The ruling has opened a fresh legal and commercial debate over the future of fuel imports as Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity expands.

Oil marketers have welcomed the judgment, arguing that allowing both local refiners and importers to operate would promote competition and help maintain petrol supply.

However, the decision comes amid an ongoing dispute over the role of fuel imports in a market increasingly supplied by domestic refineries. The development has renewed questions about whether existing laws adequately address the changing structure of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

The ruling also places renewed attention on separate litigation involving the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the continued issuance of fuel import licences. The refinery has challenged aspects of the import licensing regime, arguing that increased imports could undermine domestic refining.

Industry stakeholders are now watching how the competing legal positions will affect the regulator’s licensing decisions and the balance between imported petroleum products and locally refined fuel.

The Abuja judgment does not mean that the three marketers can import fuel without regulatory approval. The court’s order remains subject to their fulfilment of all applicable statutory and regulatory conditions.

The case therefore adds another significant development to Nigeria’s wider debate over fuel imports, domestic refining, market competition and the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act.