The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is set to roll out between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations nationwide within the next six months as it moves to modernise its retail network.
The planned outlets are expected to operate as energy and mobility hubs, combining conventional petrol sales with electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and other customer services.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, announced the plan on Thursday in Abuja during the commissioning of a technology-driven service station equipped with an electric vehicle charging facility.
Located along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road, Abuja, the newly commissioned outlet is the first in a planned nationwide rollout of smart stations.
Dagazau explained that the new model was designed to move NNPC’s retail operations beyond conventional fuel dispensing by bringing different energy and mobility services together at one location.
He said, “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.
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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.”
Under the new arrangement, motorists will be able to dispense petrol themselves at any time, including overnight, using a digital payment platform. However, station attendants will continue to be available to provide assistance.
Dagazau rejected concerns that self-service technology could reduce employment, saying the broader range of services at the new facilities would create additional roles.
“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 can store 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.
It has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six EV charging points developed in partnership with African Motor Works. The entire facility runs on solar power, supported by a system with a capacity exceeding 200 kilowatts.
Additional services planned for the station include a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities. CNG services and a vehicle conversion centre are also planned.
He said, “The station is going to run 24 hours. And it is fully self-service. So for customers who 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 added that customers who are unable to operate the digital application would still be able to use the facility, as station personnel would be available to assist them.
Dagazau also revealed that NNPC had commenced preparations to upgrade its existing retail outlets, saying the move was being driven by changing customer expectations.
He said, “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, NNPC ultimately expects the new concept to spread across most of its stations, although the speed of the transition will depend on customer demand and the level of investment required.
The Managing Director, NNPC Retail, Huub Stokman, said the transformation had become necessary as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry changes following deregulation and the start of operations at the Dangote Refinery.
He said consumers now increasingly expect quality products, competitive pricing, quicker services, digital payment options and access to alternative energy sources, including 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.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, KN Nandap, praised NNPC for integrating traditional fuel retailing with EV charging and other technology-driven services.
Nandap said the facility demonstrated Nigeria’s increasing shift towards technology, cleaner energy and smart mobility, noting that such investments could support job creation, skills development and industrial expansion.
The initiative comes amid major changes in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry, where deregulation, growing domestic refining capacity and the development of alternative fuels are reshaping the distribution and consumption of energy products.
Through the smart-station programme, NNPC aims to adapt its retail network to these changes by combining conventional fuel sales with cleaner energy options, digital technology and wider consumer services.