* One week after being honoured by Buhari
Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo, is dead.
The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, announced his demise in a tweet in the early hours of Wednesday.
Kyari said Barkindo died around 11pm on Tuesday.
Kyari tweeted: “We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo. 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.”
Only last Tuesday, Barkindo held a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari during which he announced that his six-year tenure as OPEC scribe was coming to an end.
At that event, Buhari thanked him for being a worthy ambassador of the country.
The President directed the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to mobilise the oil and gas industry to organise a befitting welcome reception in his honour when he finally returns home.
In his remark during the visit, Barkindo attributed his success to the tremendous guidance, charisma and international gravitas of President Buhari; support from OPEC secretariat in Vienna; and cooperation by members of the organisation.
Apart from visiting Aso Rock, Barkindo also on Tuesday delivered a speech at the ongoing Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja.
A former managing director of the NNPC, Barkindo was appointed OPEC Secretary-General in 2016. He was the fourth Nigerian to hold that position and the 28th person in the role overall.
He was GMD of the NNPC between 2009 and 2010.