Petrol station workers operating under the banner of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers have kicked against plans by AA Rano to introduce what the company has described as Nigeria’s first fully automated and unmanned fuel stations.
The workers warned that the initiative, if carried out without adequate safeguards, could worsen unemployment levels and further fuel insecurity across the country.
AA Rano had recently announced plans to roll out the automated fuel stations this January, explaining that the outlets would operate a 24-hour self-service fuelling system.
The company stated that the stations would depend on contactless payment platforms, real-time monitoring technology and automated dispensing systems, a move that would remove the need for on-site pump attendants.
Reacting to the development, the convener of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers and rights advocate, Comrade Ibrahim Zango, expressed strong opposition to the proposed rollout.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, Zango said the plan could deprive many young Nigerians currently working as petrol station attendants of their means of livelihood.
He said the timing of the initiative was inappropriate, considering the country’s current economic hardship and rising unemployment rate.
“At a time when Nigeria is already grappling with mass unemployment, rising cost of living, and growing insecurity, deploying job-eliminating technology without safeguards is dangerous,” Zango said.
He urged relevant stakeholders to reflect on the human cost of the innovation, noting that thousands of families depend on income earned 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 stated that many petrol station attendants had spent decades in the profession and deserved more considerate 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 said.
While acknowledging the relevance of technological advancement, the workers’ leader insisted that innovation should not come at the expense of workers’ welfare.
He argued that automation within the downstream petroleum sector should be structured in a way that creates new opportunities rather than eliminates existing jobs.
Zango also called on the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies to urgently develop clear policies that would balance technological innovation with the protection of workers’ rights.
He further appealed to the management of AA Rano to demonstrate social responsibility, noting that many petrol station attendants today once occupied positions similar to where the company’s chairman started.
“They should not be pushed out of their livelihoods in the name of innovation,” Zango said, calling for dialogue among the company, workers and regulators before the project is implemented.
