“We have lost the Honorable Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo,” NNPC CEO Mele Kyari tweeted, adding that he died late on Tuesday. The death is a “great loss to his immediate family, NNPC, our country Nigeria, OPEC and the global energy community,” Kyari added. Kyari said Barkindo died hours after meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and keynote address at an energy summit in Abuja. His tenure as head of OPEC was marked by global crises that hit the industry. During his keynote address in Abuja, hours before his death, Barkido said the oil and gas industry was “under siege” and still reeling from massive investment losses in recent years. “In a very short period of time, the industry has been hit by two major cycles – the severe market downturn in 2015 and 2016 and the even more far-reaching impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Barkindo. Barkindo’s career in the oil industry began in Nigeria in the early 1980s. He served in various capacities at the NNPC and represented Nigeria on the OPEC Economic Commission Board. He was OPEC secretary-general in 2006 before returning to the post 10 years later and leading the organization through a turbulent period in the oil market, including guiding it towards greater cooperation with non-OPEC oil producers. “Serving as OPEC Secretary General for two terms has been the honor of a lifetime. Over the past six years, we have witnessed both challenging and historic moments, which have underscored again 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 had always tried to seek consensus for the good of the organization. After leaving OPEC, Barkido was to join the US think tank at the Atlantic Council’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 selfless service that Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo gave to OPEC. His dedication and leadership will inspire OPEC for many more years,” the OPEC Secretariat said in a tweet.
