NNPC has planned 70 Smart Self-Service Filling Stations Nationwide within six months.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has announced plans to deploy between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across Nigeria within the next six months.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Ltd, Mumuni Dagazau, disclosed this on Thursday while unveiling a smart mega station in Abuja.
Dagazau said the initiative forms part of the company’s broader plan to transform its conventional retail outlets into modern energy and mobility hubs.
According to him, the upgraded stations will provide multiple energy and mobility services, including petrol, electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and other services.
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“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 stated.
The planned rollout marks a shift towards greater automation in NNPC’s retail operations, with customers expected to access fuel and other services through smart and self-service facilities.
However, the move has raised concerns about its potential impact on employment, particularly for petrol station attendants who traditionally handle fuel dispensing and other customer services at filling stations.
Nigeria continues to face significant employment challenges, with millions of people either unemployed or underemployed, making the potential displacement of workers a concern.
The transition to automated filling stations could therefore require NNPC and other industry stakeholders to consider measures for retraining and redeploying workers whose roles may be affected by increased automation.
Beyond conventional petroleum retailing, the planned smart stations are expected to support Nigeria’s evolving energy mix by incorporating services such as CNG, LPG and electric vehicle charging.
The initiative is also expected to position NNPC’s retail network to respond to changing consumer preferences and developments in the country’s energy and mobility sectors.
