The downstream petroleum industry in Nigeria uses a set of abbreviations that can confuse first-time buyers. Here is what they mean and where each product fits.
PMS — Premium Motor Spirit (petrol)
The fuel for most cars, motorcycles and small generators. Businesses buy it in bulk mainly to stock filling stations and to fuel corporate fleets. Since the removal of the petrol subsidy in 2023, its price is set by the market rather than fixed by government.
AGO — Automotive Gas Oil (diesel)
Diesel powers trucks, buses, construction equipment and — critically in Nigeria — the large generators that keep factories, hospitals, banks and telecom masts running. For many industrial customers it is their single biggest energy cost.
DPK — Dual Purpose Kerosene (kerosene)
Traditionally used for household cooking and lighting, with some industrial and solvent uses. Household demand has been shifting towards LPG, which is cleaner and increasingly available.
LPG — Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas)
A mixture of propane and butane stored under pressure as a liquid. It is sold by weight rather than volume, and supplied in bulk to refill plants, commercial kitchens and industrial users. Government policy has actively promoted LPG adoption as part of the country’s wider gas agenda.
Lubricants
Not fuels, but essential to anyone running engines or machinery: engine oils, hydraulic oils, gear oils and greases. Using the right grade — and changing it on schedule — is one of the cheapest ways to extend equipment life.
Other products you may see
- ATK — Aviation Turbine Kerosene, the jet fuel used by aircraft.
- LPFO — Low Pour Fuel Oil, a heavy fuel oil used in some industrial furnaces and boilers.