The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL has announced plans to deploy between 50 and 70 smart, self-service filling stations across Nigeria within the next six months.

NNPC said the initiative is part of its strategy to transform conventional filling stations into modern energy and mobility hubs offering petrol, electric vehicle charging, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and other services.

The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Mumuni Dagazau, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the commissioning of a technology-driven 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 rollout nationwide, explaining that the new concept would provide customers with multiple energy and mobility services at one location.

He said NNPC planned to establish about 50 to 70 such facilities within six months, adding that several smart stations were already being developed in Abuja and Kano.

According to him, the new model would combine different energy sources, including petrol, gas and electricity, under the company’s planned energy hub concept.

The stations will allow customers to dispense petrol themselves, including at night, using digital payment platforms.

However, Dagazau dismissed concerns that self-service operations could lead to job losses, saying attendants and other workers would still be required to assist customers and manage the expanded services.

He explained that the energy hubs would require additional personnel to support automation, electric vehicle charging, technology integration and other services.

The Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, NNPC Limited, Shettima Baba-Kukawa, said the newly commissioned Abuja facility has a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil.

The station has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six electric vehicle charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works.

Baba-Kukawa said the facility is powered entirely by solar energy through a system with a capacity of more than 200 kilowatts.

He added that the station would feature a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities, while CNG services and a vehicle conversion centre were also planned.

According to him, the station will operate 24 hours daily and customers who prefer self-service will be able to complete transactions through a mobile application before dispensing the exact quantity of fuel purchased.

He, however, assured customers who may be unable to use the application that staff would remain available to provide assistance.

Dagazau also announced plans to modernise NNPC’s existing retail outlets, saying the company was responding to changing customer expectations and the evolving downstream petroleum market.

He said the pace of the transformation would depend on customer demand and the level of investment required, but expressed optimism that most NNPC stations would eventually adopt the new model.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of NNPC Retail, Huub Stokman, said the transformation had become necessary following changes in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, including deregulation and increased domestic refining capacity.

Stokman said consumers were increasingly demanding quality products, competitive prices, faster services, digital payment options and access to alternative energy sources such as electric vehicle charging and CNG.

He added that the company was also focusing on sustainability, noting that the newly commissioned Abuja station was fully solar-powered.

In a goodwill message, 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 create opportunities for employment, skills development and industrial growth.

The development comes amid significant changes in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, with deregulation, increased domestic refining and the emergence of alternative fuels reshaping the way petroleum products are marketed and consumed.

NNPC said its smart-station programme is designed to position its retail network for the changing market by combining conventional fuel sales with cleaner energy, digital services and other customer-focused offerings.