By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is set to expand its smart filling station model nationwide, with between 50 and 70 outlets expected to be deployed within the next six months.
The initiative marks a shift from traditional petrol stations to integrated energy hubs designed to offer customers fuel, alternative energy and mobility services in one location.
The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, announced the plan on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the commissioning of a technology-driven station along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road.
Dagazau said the newly commissioned facility represented the first phase of a broader transformation of NNPC’s retail outlets.
“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 NNPC already 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.”
Unlike conventional outlets, the new stations are designed to accommodate multiple energy sources, including petrol, gas and electricity.
Dagazau said the model would also cater to the growing electric vehicle market through charging facilities.
“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 smart stations will also introduce self-service fuel dispensing, allowing customers to purchase and dispense petrol themselves, including during nighttime operations.
The transactions will be completed digitally through a mobile application, although station attendants will remain available to assist customers.
Dagazau said the introduction of automation should not be interpreted as a plan to reduce employment at NNPC stations.
“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, said the Abuja facility can store 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.
The outlet has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six electric vehicle charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works.
Its operations are powered entirely by solar energy, supported by a system with a capacity exceeding 200 kilowatts.
Beyond fuel sales, the facility is designed to operate as a broader commercial and mobility centre, with a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities.
Baba-Kukawa said CNG services and a vehicle conversion centre were also planned.
He added that the station would operate 24 hours a day and give customers the option of completing transactions through their phones.
“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.”
Customers who are unable to use the digital platform, he said, would still be assisted by station personnel.
Dagazau said the smart-station project was also part of NNPC’s wider effort to modernise its existing retail outlets.
“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 expects the model to spread to most of its stations over time, although the pace of adoption will be influenced by customer demand and the investment required.
NNPC Retail Managing Director, Huub Stokman, linked the transformation to changes in the downstream petroleum market following deregulation and the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery.
He said consumers were now placing greater emphasis on product quality, competitive pricing, speed of service, digital transactions and alternative energy options such as CNG and electric vehicle charging.
“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, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, KN Nandap, praised the project for combining conventional petroleum retailing with technology, cleaner energy and smart mobility.
She said investments of the kind could generate employment, develop technical skills and support industrial growth.
The rollout comes as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry continues to adjust to deregulation, growing domestic refining capacity and the increasing use of alternative fuels.
NNPC said the smart-station programme would enable its retail network to respond to these changes by combining conventional fuel services with digital technology, cleaner energy and a wider range of services for consumers.
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