The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) plans to deploy between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across Nigeria within the next six months as it moves to reshape its retail network around digital payments, alternative fuels and electric mobility.
The new stations are being designed as energy and mobility hubs rather than conventional petrol stations, combining fuel retailing with electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and other consumer services.
Mumuni Dagazau, NNPC’s Executive Vice President, Downstream, announced the expansion on Thursday in Abuja during the commissioning of a technology-driven service station with electric vehicle charging facilities along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road.
NNPC is turning filling stations into energy hubs
Dagazau said the Abuja facility was the first of several smart stations the company plans to introduce nationwide.
The model allows customers to dispense petrol themselves and make payments digitally, including during overnight operations. However, attendants will remain available to assist customers who need help using the technology.
NNPC expects the new format to provide a broader range of services at a single location, reflecting changes in the downstream petroleum market and consumer expectations.
The company currently has about four or five stations of this type in Abuja and is preparing to launch two more in Kano, according to Dagazau.
He said NNPC expects to roll out between 50 and 70 smart stations within six months.
Self-service pumps will not eliminate jobs, NNPC says
The introduction of self-service fuel pumps has raised concerns about whether automation could reduce employment at filling stations.
Dagazau rejected that argument, saying the wider range of services offered at an energy hub would require workers with new technical and operational skills.
Beyond traditional fuel dispensing, employees would be needed to support digital systems, automation, electric vehicle charging and the integration of multiple energy sources.
NNPC’s position is that the transition is therefore less about removing workers and more about changing the type of work performed at its retail outlets.
Abuja station combines petrol, diesel and EV charging
The newly commissioned Abuja facility has a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
It has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six electric vehicle charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works.
The station is powered entirely by solar energy through a system with a capacity of more than 200 kilowatts.
NNPC Retail’s Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, Shettima Baba-Kukawa, said the facility would operate 24 hours a day.
Customers who choose self-service can use the station’s mobile application to complete payment before dispensing the exact quantity of fuel purchased.
Staff will still be available for customers who prefer assistance or cannot use the digital system.
Restaurant, car wash and CNG services planned
The station is also designed to function as a broader consumer and mobility centre.
Planned services include a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern vehicle service bay and LPG dispensing facilities.
NNPC also plans to introduce CNG services and a vehicle conversion centre at the facility.
The expansion reflects the company’s attempt to reposition its retail outlets as the downstream market becomes more competitive and consumers gain access to a wider range of energy sources.
Dangote Refinery is changing the downstream market
Huub Stokman, Managing Director of NNPC Retail, said the transformation of the company’s retail network was becoming necessary as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry evolves following deregulation and the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery.
Consumers, he said, are increasingly looking for quality products, competitive prices, faster service, digital payment options and access to alternative energy sources such as CNG and electric vehicle charging.
The push towards solar-powered facilities also reflects growing pressure for businesses to provide more sustainable energy solutions.
Nigeria’s downstream sector has undergone major changes since the removal of petrol subsidies and the expansion of domestic refining capacity. The emergence of large-scale local refining has also increased competition and changed the relationship between fuel suppliers, retailers and consumers.
NNPC wants most stations to adopt the model
Dagazau said NNPC had started plans to modernise its existing stations, although the speed of the rollout would depend on customer demand and the investment required.
The company’s longer-term ambition is for most of its retail outlets to eventually adopt elements of the smart-station model.
For motorists, the change could mean that a trip to an NNPC station increasingly involves more than buying petrol. Fuel, EV charging, gas, vehicle servicing, food and digital services could eventually be offered within the same retail network.
The strategy marks a shift in Nigeria’s fuel retail business from conventional filling stations towards multi-service energy hubs designed for a more diversified downstream market.
