The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced plans to introduce between 50 and 70 smart self-service filling stations across Nigeria within the next six months.
The move will see NNPC shift from the traditional filling-station model to modern energy and mobility hubs offering motorists more than petrol.
The company said the new outlets will combine petrol sales with services including electric vehicle charging, LPG, CNG, digital payments and other customer-focused facilities.
NNPC Executive Vice President, Downstream, Mumuni Dagazau, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while commissioning a technology-driven station equipped with electric vehicle charging facilities along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road.
Dagazau described the Abuja facility as the first of a new generation of NNPC stations to be rolled out across the country.
According to him, the company is targeting between 50 and 70 such stations within the next six months as it responds to changing consumer needs and the emergence of alternative energy sources.
The new stations will also introduce self-service fuel dispensing, allowing motorists to buy and dispense petrol themselves, including during night operations.
Customers will make payments through digital platforms and dispense only the quantity of fuel they have purchased, while attendants will remain available to assist those who need help.
NNPC said the introduction of self-service pumps would not necessarily translate into job losses.
Dagazau argued that the new energy hubs would require workers to handle automation, EV charging systems, gas services and other operations, potentially creating more roles than conventional filling stations.
The Abuja station has a storage capacity of 180,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, according to NNPC Retail’s Executive Director, Retail Operations and Mobility, Shettima Baba-Kukawa.
The facility has 16 PMS pumps, two AGO pumps and six EV charging points installed in partnership with African Motor Works.
It is powered entirely by solar energy through a system with a capacity of more than 200 kilowatts.
Motorists will also have access to a quick-service restaurant, coffee shop, automated car wash, modern service bay and LPG dispensing facilities.
NNPC said CNG facilities and a vehicle conversion centre are also planned for the station.
Baba-Kukawa said the outlet would operate 24 hours, with customers able to complete transactions through a mobile application and dispense fuel themselves.
However, motorists who are unable to use the digital platform will still be assisted by station staff.
Dagazau said the company had also commenced plans to modernise its existing retail outlets, stressing that consumers were demanding better services and more convenience.
NNPC Retail Managing Director, Huub Stokman, said the transformation was being driven by major changes in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
He cited deregulation, growing domestic refining capacity and the emergence of the Dangote Refinery as developments reshaping the market.
According to Stokman, consumers now expect quality products, competitive prices, faster transactions, digital payment options and access to alternative energy sources such as CNG and EV charging.
He added that sustainability was also becoming increasingly important, particularly among younger consumers, hence the decision to make the new Abuja station fully solar-powered.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, KN Nandap, who delivered a goodwill message at the commissioning, commended NNPC for combining conventional fuel retailing with newer energy and mobility services.
The development marks another shift in Nigeria’s rapidly changing downstream sector, where deregulation, local refining and alternative fuels are increasingly influencing how motorists buy and consume energy.
NNPC said it ultimately hopes to transform a significant portion of its retail network into modern energy hubs as customer expectations and the country’s energy landscape continue to evolve.
