The Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Muhammad Barkindo, is dead.

Mr Barkindo’s death was announced in a tweet by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Mr Kyari, on his verified Twitter handle, @MKKyari, “We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo. He died at about 11pm yesterday, July 5 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.”

The cause of his death was unknown at the time of filing this report.

Mr Barkindo’s term as secretary-general was to end on July 31. On Tuesday, he delivered a keynote address at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, which runs from July 4 to 7. Nigeria joined OPEC in 1971. The country marked its 50th Anniversary in OPEC last year.

Following the announcement of his death by the NNPC GMD, a former senator Shehu Sani, tweeted, “Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo, former GMD NNPC and until recently, @OPECSecretariat scribe, was honoured yesterday. He died 11pm yesternight. May Allah grant him Aljanna firdausi. Amin. That is the ephemerality and transience of life.”

Mr Barkindo, on Tuesday, met President Muhammadu Buhari along with the OPEC delegation in Abuja. According to a statement by OPEC, the meeting took place partly to honour Barkindo’s two-term tenure as secretary-general of OPEC.

During the meeting, Mr Buhari said, “Welcome back home!” adding, “We are proud of your distinguished achievements at OPEC. You were able to successfully navigate the Organization through turbulent challenges.”

In return, Mr Barkindo had said, “I and my colleagues from the OPEC Secretariat are deeply honoured by your audience, Mr President, as well as of the honourable Minister Sylva and other senior officials of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”

He briefed Mr Buhari on oil market developments and the vital role the Declaration of Cooperation played in stabilising the global oil market over the past six years.