Stakeholders have expressed concerns over the future of petrol attendants whose jobs could be affected by the introduction of self-service fuel dispensing in the country.
The stakeholders were reacting to the model emerging in Nigeria, with Sunbed Energy deploying the system in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
A public analyst, Jide Ojo, said in an interview on Monday in Abuja that self-service dispensing could help address complaints of customers receiving less fuel than they paid for.
However, he said there was a possible downside in terms of job losses.
According to him, some large filling stations employ as many as 30 fuel attendants, many of whose duties could become unnecessary if motorists routinely dispense fuel themselves.
“It is a good development because nobody is cheating you of the true value of the fuel that is dispensed in your vehicle, but it will create unemployment in the country,” he said.
Economist Aliyu Ilias said that self-service fuel dispensing had been used in Europe and other parts of the world for decades.
He said Nigeria’s growing use of electronic payments could make the system easier to implement but questioned whether the country was psychologically and institutionally prepared for the transition.
“Self-service is good if there is adequate system technology, especially from the CBN,” Mr Ilias said.
He said that employment remained a major concern as automation expanded across different sectors.
Mr Ilias said that although self-service could be economical for fuel companies, it would likely reduce the number of employees required at filling stations.
Labour leader Owei Lakemfa said Nigeria’s relatively recent adoption of self-service fuel dispensing showed how slowly some technologies have been introduced into the country.
Mr Lakemfa is the former secretary-general of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity. He said that self-service fuel stations existed internationally for decades and identified several potential benefits, including reduced waiting times and fewer opportunities for manipulation of fuel pumps.
Mr Lakemfa also highlighted the employment implications. According to him, widespread adoption can reduce the need for fuel attendants across filling stations and contribute to unemployment. He said Nigeria would need to prepare for the social consequences of technological change by developing measures to support workers displaced by automation.
“This goes beyond whether motorists should dispense their own fuel. It raises a broader question about how Nigeria can adopt technologies. It is also about how Nigeria can improve efficiency and reduce opportunities for malpractice while ensuring that workers affected by automation are not left without alternatives.
“As self-service dispensing gradually gains a foothold in the Nigerian downstream petroleum sector, its long-term impact will not only be on the technology itself. It also depends on how businesses, regulators and policymakers manage the transition for workers and con
sumers,” he said.
(NAN)