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Barkindo, 63, a veteran of the oil industry, was due to step
down at the end of this month after six years in the top job at
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
"We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo," NNPC CEO
Mele Kyari wrote on Twitter, adding that he died late on
Tuesday.
The death is a "great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC,
our country Nigeria, the OPEC and the global energy community,"
Kyari added.
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 the head of OPEC has been marked by global shocks
that have battered the industry.
During his keynote speech in Abuja hours before his death,
Barkindo said the oil and gas industry is "under siege" and
still reeling from the enormous investment losses of recent
years.
"In a very short timespan, 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,"
Barkindo said.
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 OPEC's Economic Commission Board.
He was acting OPEC secretary general in 2006 before returning to
the position 10 years later and has led the organisation through
a turbulent oil market period including steering it towards
greater cooperation with non-OPEC oil producers.
"Serving as Secretary General of OPEC for two terms has been the
honour of a lifetime. Over the past six years, we have witnessed
both challenging and historic moments, which have 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 to seek consensus for
the good of the organisation.
After leaving OPEC, Barkindo was due to join U.S. think tank 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 years to
come," the OPEC Secretariat said in a Tweet.
(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli, Maha El Dahan in Dubai, Nadine
Awadalla in Cairo and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Abuja; Writing by
Bate Felix; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Louise Heavens and
Kim Coghill)
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