‘How businesses can effectively manage energy, other costs’

Innocent Ifode is the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Fueling Agile Nigeria Limited, a technology-driven venture with focus on fuel and fleet management. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, the software engineer shares interesting insights on how businesses can address cost efficiency, strengthen accountability, and maintain optimum productivity in their day-to-day operations. Excerpts:

One of the cost components of businesses is energy cost. Thankfully, this is one area of concern to you as a business. What are the gaps you want to bridge here?

For as a business concern, the decision to veer into this area was borne out of the need to address the practical problem we all observed daily: the inefficiency and frustration drivers and businesses face when trying to access fuel and petroleum products such as Premium Motor Spirit and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). Motorists are often forced to endure long queues at a single filling station, even though the same product is available across multiple stations at the same time. That bottleneck reflects a broader lack of coordination, speed, and innovation in fuel access.

Unfortunately, for corporate users, the challenge is even more pronounced. Many companies depend on fuel cards and bulk supply arrangements that take days to be approved, loaded, or topped up, disrupting operations and increasing downtime. Fueling Agile Nigeria was created to close this gap by introducing a faster, smarter, and more flexible fuel access system—one that prioritises efficiency, real-time availability, and seamless transactions for both individual and corporate consumers.

Our mission therefore is to power operational efficiency while protecting the profitability of businesses that depend on fuel and fleet assets. We are deliberately focused on helping organisations safeguard their bottom line by reducing fuel waste, eliminating fraud, and improving visibility across fuel consumption and fleet operations. Our competitive advantage lies in our use of advanced fuel-monitoring technology, robust fraud-prevention systems, and a carefully selected network of strategic partners. Together, these enable us to deliver real-time data, tighter controls, and smarter decision-making for our clients—turning fuel from a cost burden into a managed, optimised resource.

What have been the biggest early challenges you’ve faced, and how are you overcoming them?

One of our biggest early challenges has been encouraging businesses to adopt a new, data-driven approach with strict monitoring systems. Change can be difficult, especially when it involves technology that alters traditional workflows and introduces greater transparency. We are overcoming this by demonstrating tangible value—showing how our solutions reduce fuel waste, prevent fraud, and optimise operations. Through hands-on onboarding, client education, and clear performance metrics, we help businesses see the efficiency gains and cost savings for themselves, making adoption not just easier, but compelling.

How do you measure success for your business in the short term, medium to long term?

In the short term, we measure success by the tangible impact we deliver to our clients—specifically, the number of businesses whose profitability and operational efficiency we have helped safeguard through our fuel and fleet solutions. Over the long term, success is measured by our ability to scale, innovate, and shape the industry: expanding our footprint across markets, setting new standards for fuel management and fraud prevention, and becoming a trusted strategic partner for businesses seeking smarter, technology-driven operations.

What are your plans for scaling — geographically, by service-line, or by customer segment?

We plan to scale strategically by geography and customer reach. In the first phase, we are expanding operations to key hubs such as Port Harcourt and Abuja, targeting the deployment of 10,000 fuel cards within the first two years. Beyond geographic growth, we aim to broaden our service offerings and deepen engagement with corporate clients, positioning Fueling Agile Nigeria as a comprehensive, technology-driven partner for businesses seeking efficiency, transparency, and cost optimisation in fuel and fleet management.

Your work includes the AgileFlex Fuel Card. How does this system operate in practice, and how does it use technology and data to improve fuel accountability and operational efficiency for organisations?

The AgileFlex Fuel Card is designed as an integrated fuel-management system rather than a simple payment tool. Each card is connected to a real-time data infrastructure that captures transaction-level information at the point of fuel purchase, including volume dispensed, time, location, vehicle or driver identification, and vendor details.

Advertisement

By consolidating this data into a single platform, organisations gain continuous, granular visibility into fuel usage across their operations. This level of oversight allows fleet managers to identify inefficiencies and irregular patterns early—such as abnormal fuel volumes, repeated off-route purchases, or usage that does not align with approved routes or schedules.

The system is supported by secure card technology and a reliable payment network, ensuring transaction stability and minimising downtime. Cards can be funded within a short operational window, enabling businesses to respond quickly to changing fuel needs. In addition, the platform is supported around the clock, including weekends and public holidays, reflecting the reality that many fleets operate beyond standard business hours. Overall, the value lies in using data, availability, and control to reduce waste, strengthen accountability, and support more disciplined fuel management across complex operations.

You reference the use of bespoke technology solutions in your work. In what situations do you develop customised tools for clients, and how do you evaluate the cost–benefit trade-off of this approach?

Our bespoke technology solutions are developed primarily on a business-to-business basis, where standard platforms may not fully address a client’s operational or governance requirements. In such cases, we work closely with organisations to design targeted tools that strengthen internal processes and improve accountability.

These solutions often include biometric identity systems to enhance verification and access control, as well as staff welfare and monitoring frameworks that support compliance, productivity, and transparency. The decision to build custom tools is guided by a clear cost–benefit assessment—focusing on whether the solution delivers measurable efficiency gains, risk reduction, or long-term operational value that justifies the investment.

Nigeria’s trucking and logistics sector continues to grapple with challenges such as downtime, fuel losses, and unauthorised asset use. How do your solutions support fleet managers in addressing these structural inefficiencies?

Our approach is centred on maintaining operational continuity while improving control and accountability. We have designed our solutions to prioritise speed, reliability, and visibility, ensuring that fleets can remain operational with minimal disruption.

By combining real-time fuel monitoring, secure transaction systems, and continuous data oversight, fleet managers gain clearer insight into how assets are being used and where losses may be occurring. This enables faster decision-making, reduces downtime linked to fuel access or system delays, and discourages unauthorised usage through tighter controls. Ultimately, the objective is to help transport companies move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, data-driven fleet management.

Partnerships are often central to building scale in energy and mobility services. Which collaborations have been most critical in expanding your network, and what challenges have you encountered in establishing or sustaining these relationships?

Our growth has been anchored on a strong ecosystem of financial institutions and fuel distribution partners. On the financial side, partnerships with institutions such as Providus Bank and Wema Bank have been instrumental in providing the secure payment infrastructure and settlement platforms required to support scale and reliability.

Equally important are our relationships with fuel station operators and marketers, including networks such as Northwest, MRS, Rainoil, Mobil, NNPC, and Enyo. These partnerships enable broad geographic coverage and consistent access points for users across the country.

The primary challenges in forming and maintaining these relationships have centred on aligning operational standards, technology integration, and service-level expectations across diverse partners. We address this through clear governance frameworks, continuous engagement, and a shared focus on efficiency, transparency, and long-term value creation.

From your perspective, what role should the government play in supporting companies operating at the intersection of fuel distribution, technology, and fleet management—particularly in areas such as infrastructure, taxation, and regulation?

Government’s most constructive role lies in creating a predictable and well-regulated operating environment. This includes enforcing strict compliance with verified merchant registration standards to ensure transparency, accountability, and trust across the fuel distribution value chain.

In addition, the government can support the sector by encouraging the adoption of modern technologies that improve monitoring, reduce leakages, and strengthen data integrity. Clear regulatory frameworks, combined with policies that incentivise innovation, would help legitimate operators scale responsibly while improving efficiency and governance across the industry as a whole.

Advertisement

Who are your primary customers in terms of industry, fleet size, and geographic reach? What operational challenges do they typically present, and how have your solutions been structured to address these needs?

Our primary customers span a range of sectors with high mobility and fuel-dependency requirements. These include fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), communications and technology-enabled services, hospitality and leisure, insurance and professional services, as well as logistics and distribution-focused enterprises. Most operate small to mid-sized fleets, with some managing larger, multi-location vehicle networks across major commercial centres and regional corridors in Nigeria.

The common challenges they bring to us include fuel leakage, limited visibility into consumption patterns, downtime caused by inefficient fuel access, and weak controls around driver or asset usage. In many cases, these issues directly affect operating costs, service reliability, and profitability. Our solutions are tailored to these realities by combining controlled fuel access, real-time transaction data, and monitoring tools that align with each client’s operational structure. We adapt our systems to fleet size, geographic spread, and sector-specific workflows, enabling organisations to move from fragmented fuel management to a more disciplined, data-driven, and accountable operating model.

What feedback have you received from customers so far—both positive and critical—and can you share an example that illustrates how your services have created value or informed operational improvements?

Customer feedback has been broadly constructive, reflecting both the strengths of our model and areas where continuous improvement is required. On the positive side, clients consistently highlight responsiveness, availability, and the practical impact our solutions have on keeping their operations running without interruption.

One illustrative case involved a fleet driver who was stranded at a fuel station late in the evening due to funding constraints. Through our platform, we were able to activate a fuel credit feature in real time, outside normal business hours. This enabled the driver to refuel and continue operations, avoiding downtime and potential revenue loss for the client. Experiences like this reinforce the importance of round-the-clock support in sectors that do not operate on a fixed schedule.

At the same time, we have received critical feedback, particularly during periods of system upgrades, where temporary service interruptions—typically lasting up to two hours—have affected platform access. These instances have provided important lessons in change management and service continuity. In response, we are refining our upgrade processes and investing in deployment methods that minimise or eliminate disruption, ensuring system improvements do not come at the expense of our clients’ day-to-day operations.