Petrol station workers, represented by the Concerned Petrol Station Workers, have voiced strong opposition to AA Rano’s plans to introduce what the company has described as Nigeria’s first fully automated and unmanned fuel stations.
The workers caution that if implemented without adequate safeguards, this move could exacerbate unemployment and contribute to rising insecurity across the country. AA Rano recently announced its intention to roll out the automated stations this January, highlighting that these outlets would operate a 24-hour self-service fuelling system.
According to the company, the stations will utilise contactless payment platforms, real-time monitoring technology, and automated dispensing systems, thereby eliminating the need for on-site pump attendants.
In response to this announcement, Comrade Ibrahim Zango, the convener of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers and a rights advocate, expressed serious concerns about the potential impact of the development.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, Zango noted that many young Nigerians currently employed as petrol station attendants could lose their means of livelihood. He stressed that the timing of the initiative is ill-suited, given the country’s prevailing economic challenges and the increasing unemployment rate.
“At a time when Nigeria is already grappling with mass unemployment, rising costs of living, and growing insecurity, deploying job-eliminating technology without safeguards is dangerous,” Zango stated.
He urged stakeholders to consider the human cost of this innovation, emphasising that thousands of families depend on the earnings from petrol station jobs. “So imagine the number of AA Rano fuel stations alone across the country and even beyond. Imagine the number of pump attendants working and earning their living from these stations,” he added.
Zango pointed out that many of the attendants have dedicated decades to their jobs and deserve better treatment than being displaced without a clear transition plan. “To us, sending us out of the jobs some of us have been doing for decades without robust plans will only multiply our crisis as a country,” he remarked.
While acknowledging the importance of technological advancement, the workers’ leader insisted that innovation should not come at the expense of workers’ welfare. He argued that automation in the downstream petroleum sector should be designed to create new opportunities rather than eliminate existing jobs.
Zango also called upon the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies to urgently develop clear policies that balance technological innovation with labour protection. He further appealed to AA Rano’s management to uphold its social responsibility, highlighting that many petrol station attendants today were once at the same starting point as the company’s chairman. “They should not be pushed out of their livelihoods in the name of innovation,” Zango urged, calling for dialogue between the company, workers, and regulators before the project is implemented.
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