By Adedapo Adesanya
The Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mr Mohammad Barkindo, has died aged 63.
Mr Barkindo died on Tuesday evening, according to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari.
“We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo,” Mr 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,” he added.
Mr Barkindo earlier on Tuesday had been honoured by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja for his work at OPEC.
His tenure as OPEC Secretary-General was scheduled to expire this July after he took over the helm on August 1, 2016.
The President had 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, Mr 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.
“There is no doubt about your efforts in putting together the Declaration of Cooperation which is the largest in the history of OPEC and the global oil industry and also the longest in duration in the history of the organization. This was a herculean task.”
Modupe Gbadeyanka