The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is set to introduce between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across Nigeria within the next six months as it moves to transform its retail network into modern energy and mobility hubs.
The new outlets will offer a combination of petrol, electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and other services, marking a shift from conventional fuel stations to technology-driven energy centres.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, announced the plan on Thursday in Abuja while commissioning a technology-enabled service station equipped with electric vehicle charging facilities along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road.
Dagazau described the facility as the first of several smart stations planned for locations across the country, explaining that the new model was designed to give customers access to different 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.
“I think even in Abuja, for this type of station, we have about four or five. We have another two that we’re launching out in Kano. This sort of smart stations that we’re doing.
“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.
“So what you see here is that we are using all sorts of energy available to us, including EV, electric energy. We are going to be using gas; we are going to be using petrol. So it’s a centre where you can come, and we are going to be calling it our energy hub.”
The new stations will also introduce self-service fuel dispensing, allowing customers to purchase and dispense petrol themselves, including at night, through a digital payment system.
However, attendants will remain available to assist customers who require support with the technology.
Dagazau rejected concerns that automation and self-service pumps could threaten employment, arguing that the wider range of services at the energy hubs would create additional jobs.
“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.
“You have an energy hub today. If you look at the average filling station and you look at the energy hub, you’ll find more people in the energy hub than you would find in the filling stations, right? So what we are doing is creating jobs for that. 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.”
The Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, NNPC Limited, Shettima Baba-Kukawa, disclosed that the Abuja facility has a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.
The station is equipped with 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.
Beyond fuel and charging services, Baba-Kukawa said the facility would provide customers with a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern vehicle service bay and LPG dispensing facilities.
He added that CNG and a vehicle conversion centre were also planned for the facility.
“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.”
Baba-Kukawa, however, said customers who were unable to operate the application would still be able to access the services, as staff would be available to provide assistance.
Dagazau also revealed that NNPC had commenced plans to upgrade its existing retail outlets as part of the company’s wider modernisation programme.
He explained that the move was being driven largely by changing customer expectations and the need to improve the quality of services offered at NNPC stations.
“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.”
According to him, the long-term objective is for more NNPC stations to adopt the smart energy-hub model, although the pace of the rollout will depend on customer demand and the investment required.
The Managing Director of NNPC Retail, Huub Stokman, said the transformation of the company’s retail network had become necessary as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market continued to evolve.
He pointed to deregulation and the growing role of the Dangote Refinery as some of the developments reshaping the sector and influencing consumer expectations.
Stokman said customers now wanted quality petroleum products, competitive prices, faster service, digital payment options and access to alternative energy sources such as electric vehicle 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.
Also speaking at the commissioning, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, KN Nandap, commended NNPC for combining conventional fuel retailing with electric vehicle charging and other technology-driven services.
Nandap said the facility demonstrated Nigeria’s growing adoption of technology, cleaner energy and smart mobility, adding that such investments could contribute to employment, skills development and industrial expansion.
The smart-station rollout comes as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry undergoes major changes, with deregulation, increased domestic refining capacity and the emergence of alternative fuels altering the country’s energy landscape.
NNPC said the new retail model would enable it to adapt its network to these changes by combining conventional petrol sales with alternative energy, digital technology and a broader range of customer services.
