OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo speaks at the Atlantic Council'sCouncil's Global Energy Forum at Dubai Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 28, 2022. EBRAHIM NOROOZI AP PHOTO ABUJA The secretary general of oil producers group OPEC, Mohammad Barkindo, has died, the boss of Nigerian National Petroleum Corp NNPC announced on Wednesday.
Barkindo, a veteran of the oil industry, was due to step down at the end of the month after six years in the top position at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
NNPC CEO, Mele Kyari, wrote on Twitter that he had died late on Tuesday.
Kyari said that the death was a great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC, our country, Nigeria, the OPEC and the global energy community.
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Kyari said Barkindo died hours after meeting Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and giving the main speech at an energy summit in Abuja.
His tenure as head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has been marked by global shocks that have battered the industry.
Barkindo said that the oil and gas industry is under siege and still reeling from the enormous investment losses of recent years during his keynote speech in Abuja hours before his death.
In a very short timepan, the industry has been hit by two major cycles, the serious market downturn in 2015 and 2016 and the even more far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Barkindo.
Barkindo's career began in Nigeria in the early 1980s and he served in various capacities at the NNPC and represented Nigeria on the OPEC's Economic Commission Board.
He was OPEC secretary general in 2006 before returning to the position 10 years later and has led the organization through a turbulent oil market period, including steering it towards greater cooperation with non-OPEC oil producers.
It was an honor to serve two terms as Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Over the past six years, we have witnessed both challenging and historic moments, which underscored time and again the importance of cooperation and teamwork, Barkindo said in his keynote speech on Tuesday.
Diamantino Azevedo, oil minister for OPEC member Angola, told Reuters that Barkindo was always striving for consensus for the good of the organisation.
After leaving the OPEC, Barkindo was due to join the U.S. think tank the Atlantic Council'sCouncil's Global Energy Center as a distinguished fellow, the Council recently announced.
This tragedy is a shock to the OPEC family. We express our sorrow and deep gratitude for the over 40 years of service that Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo gave to the OPEC. The OPEC Secretariat said in a tweet that his dedication and leadership will inspire OPEC for many years to come.