BREAKING: OPEC Secretary-General, Mohammed Barkindo, Is Dead
The Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, has died.
Barkindo dies at age 63. However, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, announced his demise in a tweet in the early hours of Wednesday via his Twitter handle.
“We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo,” Kyari said in a tweet.
“He died at about 11 pm yesterday 5th July 2022. Certainly a great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC, our country Nigeria, the OPEC, and the global energy community.
“Burial arrangements will be announced shortly.”
His second term at OPEC was scheduled to end on July 31, 2022, just President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, July 5 commended him for making Nigeria proud throughout his stay at OPEC.
Barkindo is the third ex-NNPC GMD to have passed on within two years with Maikanti Baru passing in May 2020 and Joseph Dawha in August 2020.
Barkindo earlier on Tuesday had been honoured by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja for his work at OPEC.
President Muhammadu Buhari has described him as a worthy ambassador of the country.
“You have indeed been a worthy ambassador of our country,” President Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement by his media adviser, Femi Adesina.
“We are proud of your achievements before and during your appointment at OPEC and the proud legacies you will leave behind.
“Your time in charge of the affairs of OPEC has been a very challenging one for the global oil industry. Oil producers were finding it difficult to come together to address challenges that were crippling the oil market.”
He added, “Not long after, the world was faced with the COVID-19 pandemic that sent crude prices spiralling down at an alarming rate. You showed incredible leadership to rally industry players and pushed through the turbulent times.
