Mohammad Barkindo, OPEC secretary-general, is dead

Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, secretary-general of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is dead.

Mele Kyari, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, announced his demise in a tweet in the early hours of Wednesday.

Kyari said he died at about 11p.m on Tuesday few hours after delivering a speech to oil and gas stakeholders at the ongoing 2022 Nigerian oil and gas conference and exhibition in Abuja.

After the event, he met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the statehouse alongside a delegation from the OPEC secretariat.

He was aged 63.

He described his departure as a great loss to his immediate family, NNPC Nigeria, OPEC and the global energy community.

“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,” Kyari tweeted.

“Burial arrangements will be announced shortly.”

We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo. He died at about 11pm 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.

— Mele Kyari, OFR (@MKKyari) July 6, 2022

Barkindo is the third ex-NNPC GMD to have passed on in two years — Maikanti Baru died in May 2020 and Joseph Dawha in August 2020.

His second term at OPEC ends on July 31, 2022.