Petrol station attendants, under the platform of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers, have criticised plans by AA Rano to introduce what it calls Nigeria’s first fully automated, unmanned filling stations.
The workers warned that the proposal, if carried out without sufficient protective measures, could deepen unemployment and heighten insecurity across the country.
Reacting to the announcement, the Convener of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers and rights campaigner, Comrade Ibrahim Zango, voiced strong opposition to the plan.
In a statement released in Kaduna on Thursday, January 8, 2026, Zango said the initiative could strip many young Nigerians employed as fuel attendants of their source of income.
He added that the move was ill-timed, considering the nation’s ongoing economic difficulties and growing 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.
Zango urged stakeholders to consider the human cost of the innovation, stressing that thousands of families depend on 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 said many of the attendants had spent decades in the job and deserved 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 stated.
While recognising the importance of technological progress, the workers’ leader insisted that advancement should not come at the expense of workers’ welfare.
He argued that automation in the downstream petroleum sector should be tailored to open up new opportunities rather than wipe out existing employment.
Zango also urged the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies to promptly establish clear guidelines that balance innovation with labour protection.
He further appealed to AA Rano’s leadership to act responsibly, pointing out that many petrol attendants once started from modest backgrounds similar to that of the company’s chairman.
“They should not be driven out of their means of livelihood under the guise of innovation,” Zango said, calling for consultations among the company, workers and regulators before the initiative is rolled out.
AA Rano recently revealed plans to deploy the automated stations this January, explaining that the outlets would operate a round-the-clock, self-service fuelling model.
According to the company, the stations will depend on contactless payment systems, real-time surveillance technology and automated fuel pumps, thereby removing the need for pump attendants at the stations.
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