By John Efosa
Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, Â Muhammad Barkindo, is dead.
Barkindo reportedly died on Tuesday.
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Â Mele Kyari, announced his demise in a tweet posted on his verified Twitter handle, which Nigerian Kicker accessed on Wednesday.
“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. He tweeted.
President Muhammadu Buhari, had on Tuesday, honoured Barkindo, describing him as a worthy Ambassador of the country at the State House, Abuja.
Barkindo was born on 20 April 1959 in Yola. Barkindo completed his bachelor’s degree in political science from Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria, Nigeria) in 1981 and Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University in 1991. Prior to his MBA, in 1988 he earned a postgraduate diploma in Petroleum Economics from Oxford University. Also, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Federal University of Technology Yola.
From 1 August 2016 until his death, he was the Secretary General of OPEC. He previously served as Acting Secretary General in 2006, represented Nigeria on OPEC’s Economic Commission Board from 1993 to 2008, led the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation from 2009 to 2010, and headed Nigeria’s technical delegation to UN climate negotiations beginning in 1991.
Posts held:
1982–85 Worked with Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos, up to the Level of Principal
Administrative Officer, Liaison Office, Lagos.
1984–86 Special Assistant to the Minister of Mines, Power and Steel, Lagos.
1986–89 Special Assistant to the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Head, Office of the
Chairman of the NNPC Board, Lagos.
1990 Served (on secondment) as Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Lagos.
(From 1992 …) Served in various capacities in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) Group spanning some 24 years, namely:
– Head, International Investments, Investment Division, NNPC Headquarters
(1992)
– Head, International Trade, NNPC London
– President Duke Oil Inc.
– Chairman NAPOIL (1993–94)
– General Manager, NNPC London Office (1993–97)
– Managing Director/Chief Executive, HYSON/CALSON — an international
trading arm of the NNPC (1998–2003)
– Group General Manager Investments, NNPC Headquarters (2003–04)
– Deputy Managing Director/Chief Executive, NLNG (2005)
– In 2007, elevated to the office of Coordinator Special Projects, NNPC
– Between 2007 and 2009, oversaw all Federal Government projects vested in
the NNPC as Coordinator
– Participated as a member of the Oil and Gas Industry Reform Implementation
Committee (OGIC) that produced the original draft Petroleum Industrial Bill
(2008)
– Led the Transformation Programme of the NNPC as enshrined in the Oil and
Gas Industry Reform Implementation Committee Report (2008)
– Between January 2009 and April 2010, served as Group Managing Director/
Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC
– Special Assistant to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy (at various times)
– Served on several Boards of NNPC investee companies, such as banks, oil
service companies, international trading companies etc.
2014–16 Fellowship Programme at George Mason University, Fairfax VA, USA, undertaking
research in the field of Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development
OPEC positions held:
1986–2010 Nigerian Delegate to OPEC Ministerial Conferences
1993–2008 Served as Nigeria’s National Representative on OPEC’s Economic Commission
Board (ECB)
Jan–Dec 2006 Served as Acting for the OPEC Secretary General, Chaired ECB
2009–10 Nigeria’s Governor for OPEC
Served as Adhoc OPEC Governor at various times.
