The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) says it plans to roll out between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across the country within the next six months.
The company said the initiative was part of its broader plan to transform conventional filling stations into modern energy and mobility hubs offering petrol, electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and other services.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the commissioning of a technology-driven service station with an electric vehicle charging facility along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road.
Dagazau said the newly commissioned station was the first of several smart outlets that would be introduced nationwide, adding that the concept was to move beyond traditional petrol retailing and provide customers with multiple energy and mobility services in one location.
“This is the first of many smart stations that we are going to have around the country. What the whole concept is, we are trying to turn from a filling station to an energy hub, and we are rolling out a lot of stations,” he said.
He said NNPC had about four or five similar stations in Abuja, while two others were being launched in Kano.
“We are hoping to roll out a significant number, probably about 50 to 70 of these types of stations within the next six months. So this is what you’ll be seeing going forward from NNPC,” he added.
He said the stations would make use of different energy sources, including electricity, gas and petrol, describing them as centres where customers could access various energy and mobility services.
Dagazu said the new model will allow customers to dispense petrol themselves, including at night, through a digital payment system, although attendants will remain at the stations to assist customers.
Dagazau dismissed concerns that the introduction of self-service pumps would result in job losses, saying the expanded services would require more workers to operate and support the technology.
“Well, you saw all of the pumps have attendants. So I really don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to jobs. What NNPC does is create jobs. What this does is create a job,” he said.
He added that workers would be needed to support the integration and automation of the services, as well as assist customers using the electric vehicle charging facilities.
“Somebody has to support the integration. Somebody has to support the automation. The EVs, we have to be here to support people. So nothing really changes for us. What we’re doing is just what the delivery to the customer is. The guarantee, the comfort of the customer, that’s really what we’re after. That’s what the smart delivery is all about,” he said.
Dagazau also disclosed that NNPC had commenced plans to modernise its existing stations, stressing that the company was responding to changing customer expectations.
“We’re going to modernise our station. That’s the word that we’re going to say. You don’t want to be going into the same station every day, every day, every day. You are demanding, so our modernisation is a demand from what the customer wants. The customer deserves a better quality of service, and we are delivering that quality of service,” he said.
He said the company hoped that most of its stations would eventually adopt the new model, although the pace would depend on customer demand and the investment required.
The Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, NNPC Limited, Shettima Baba-Kukawa, said the Abuja station had a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.
He said the facility has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six electric vehicle charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works. It is powered entirely by solar energy through a system with a capacity of more than 200 kilowatts.
Baba-Kukawa said the outlet would also feature a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities, while CNG and a vehicle conversion centre were planned.
“The station is going to run 24 hours. And it is fully self-service. So for customers that want to trust themselves and dispense themselves, they can actually do that. Transactions are done on their phone app and concluded by dispensing the exact amount of fuel they purchased into their tanks,” he said.
Despite the digital system, Baba-Kukawa said customers who were unable to use the application would not be excluded, as staff would be available to assist them.
Also speaking, Managing Director, NNPC Retail, Huub Stokman, said the transformation was necessary as the downstream petroleum market evolved following deregulation and the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery.
He said consumers were increasingly demanding quality products, competitive prices, faster services, digital payments and alternative energy options such as EV charging and CNG.
“Above all, especially the younger generation, they want us to deliver it sustainably, hence the fact that you also see that this station is completely solar-powered,” Stokman said.
The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, KN Nandap, commended NNPC for combining conventional fuel retailing with electric vehicle charging and other modern services.
Nandap said the facility reflected Nigeria’s growing adoption of technology, cleaner energy and smart mobility, adding that such investments could create opportunities for employment, skills development and industrial growth.
The development comes as Nigeria’s downstream sector undergoes significant changes, with deregulation, increased domestic refining capacity and the emergence of alternative fuels reshaping how petroleum products are sold and consumed.
NNPC said its smart-station programme was intended to position its retail network for the changing market by combining conventional fuel sales with cleaner energy, digital services and other consumer-focused offerings.
