By Our Reporter

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Retail Limited has commissioned its first technology-powered self-service smart filling station in Abuja, introducing 24-hour automated fuel dispensing and electric vehicle charging services.

The facility, located along Bill Clinton Drive, Airport Road, Abuja, marks a major shift in the company’s retail operations as it moves to transform conventional filling stations into technology-driven energy, mobility and lifestyle centres.

Speaking at the commissioning, the Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Limited, Dr Mumuni Dagazau, said the facility reflected NNPC Retail’s commitment to innovation, convenience, operational efficiency and improved customer experience.

Dagazau commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for providing the land and supporting the partnership that facilitated the development of the facility.

The Managing Director of NNPC Retail, Mr Huub Stokman, said the smart station demonstrated the changes taking place in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and the company’s efforts to respond to changing consumer expectations.

“The facility demonstrates the changes in Nigeria’s downstream industry and our commitment to meeting consumer expectations for quality, convenience, speed and reliable service,” Stokman said.

The 24-hour facility allows motorists to dispense fuel through a self-service system, enabling customers to complete transactions independently and select the exact quantity of fuel required.

Beyond fuel dispensing, the station has been equipped with electric vehicle charging points, an automated car wash, lubricant service bay and LPG dispensing facilities.

The company also said the facility would provide other lifestyle services, while plans are underway to expand its energy offerings to include Compressed Natural Gas.

The commissioning represents a new phase in NNPC Retail’s effort to modernise its retail network and develop filling stations into smart energy, mobility and lifestyle destinations.

The company said the initiative would support the delivery of a more convenient, technology-driven and customer-focused retail experience across Nigeria.

By Chidera Orji

International crude oil prices have climbed to $107 per barrel, raising fresh concerns that petrol prices in Nigeria could increase further as refiners and importers adjust to rising global supply costs.

Brent crude rose from about $100 per barrel on Wednesday to $107 on Thursday, adding to pressure on the domestic downstream petroleum market, where petrol prices have already increased significantly since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.

Pump prices, which were around N830 per litre before the crisis, have risen to about N1,310 or higher in some parts of the country.

Before the conflict erupted on February 28, international crude was trading below $69 per barrel. However, disruptions to global oil supplies and shipping have since triggered a sharp rally in crude prices, forcing refiners and petroleum marketers to review their pricing.

The latest development has heightened fears of another round of petrol price increases in Nigeria, particularly as the United States-Iran conflict continues to affect the movement of tankers through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

According to Oilprice.com, Brent crude crossed the $107 per barrel mark on Thursday amid continuing military hostilities between the United States and Iran and growing concerns over reduced crude supplies.

The benchmark recorded a gain of more than five per cent in early trading, extending a rally that had already pushed oil prices above $100 earlier in the week.

West Texas Intermediate crude also moved beyond $100 per barrel as concerns mounted that the conflict could further restrict global oil supplies.

A major factor behind the latest price surge is the sharp reduction in crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Oilprice.com reported that oil flows through the waterway, which had recovered to between six million and nine million barrels per day in previous weeks, had dropped substantially, with recent estimates putting daily outflows at less than two million barrels.

The decline in tanker traffic has added to the pressure on an already volatile global oil market.

Shipping trackers also indicated that no very large crude carriers had left the strait since the beginning of September, representing a significant drop from the level of tanker activity recorded during the brief period of relative stability.

The situation has been further complicated by attacks on tankers and other commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters.

Iran said it had hit several ships, while the United States confirmed that some Iranian oil tankers had been destroyed. Neither side has indicated that a ceasefire is imminent, fuelling expectations that the confrontation could persist for weeks or potentially longer.

The prolonged uncertainty has prompted market analysts and traders to reassess the risks to global crude supplies.

Physical crude benchmarks have moved above $100 in recent trading sessions, while futures prices have also followed the upward trajectory amid concerns over tightening inventories and the vulnerability of alternative export routes to further attacks.

For several months, an improvement in tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz had helped ease fears of a prolonged supply disruption and limited upward pressure on crude prices. That situation has now reversed.

With crude flows through the strategic waterway significantly reduced and no immediate diplomatic breakthrough in sight, international markets are increasingly factoring in the possibility of a prolonged disruption to one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.

The development could have direct implications for Nigeria, where petrol prices are sensitive to movements in international crude prices and associated supply costs.
If the surge in crude prices persists, domestic refiners and fuel importers may be compelled to review their prices upward, potentially translating into another increase in petrol pump prices across the country.

**”Warns importation could affect price stability

*** Again, marketers hike petrol pump price

By Nkem Okereh

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has expressed concerns about the reported increase in the importation of petrol into the country.

IPMAN warned that the uncontrolled rise in issuance of petroleum product import licences could worsen price instability, increase pressure on the naira and push petrol prices higher.

National Publicity Secretary of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike, who raised the alarm on Sunday, expressed the association’s concern, noting that imported petrol was entering the Nigerian market at prices above locally refined products, thereby undermining efforts to stabilise the downstream sector.

This is even as marketer have hiked the pump price of petrol across the country, as they now sell between N1200 to N1300 per litre, as against the earlier N1800, citing the rise in crude oil prices and adjustments in depot prices by Dangote Refinery and other suppliers, which it blamed on the renewed pressure on oil, following the return of hostilities between the United States of America (USA) and Iran that brought back uncertainty on the Strait of Hormuz.

It would also be recalled that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, in its June report, said the importation of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, jumped by 207 per cent to 18.1 million litres per day in June 2026 from 5.6 million litres per day in May as daily petrol consumption surged by 7 per cent to 50.6 ml/d.

NMDPRA data showed that while fuel imports surged significantly, petrol production at Dangote Refinery declined by 22 per cent to 32.5 million litres per day in June from 41.5 ml/d in May.

This means that the country imported more PMS in June than in May. This comes as NMDPRA issued import licences to petroleum product marketers in the period in view.

Ukadike said independent marketers had reviewed developments in the downstream sector, including the import licence regime, price fluctuations and the increasing use of foreign exchange for petroleum transactions.

The IPMAN spokesperson called on the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to urgently address the challenges affecting pricing and supply stability.

He noted that the recent approval of import licences, which was expected to serve as a competitive check on domestic refinery prices, had instead introduced more uncertainty into the market, adding that some companies granted import licences were offering petrol at about N1,350 per litre, a price he described as higher than the rate at which Dangote Refinery supplies marketers.

“What is the essence of issuing this price? This will create a lot of tension in society,” he said, warning that continued volatility was making business planning difficult for independent marketers.

He argued that imported petrol has a landing cost estimated to be about 20 per cent higher than locally refined products from Dangote Refinery, adding that reliance on costly imports was putting additional pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.