The chief executive of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) declared on Wednesday, that OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo has died at the age of 63.

“We lost our esteemed Dr. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo,” Kyari said on Twitter.

“Certainly a great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC, our country Nigeria, the OPEC and the global energy community,” he wrote. “Burial arrangements will be announced shortly.”
Barkindo was in his native Nigeria for an energy summit in Abuja and had spoken with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

Since assuming his role at OPEC in 2016, Barkindo oversaw turbulent times for the oil producer, which witnessed volatile markets rocked by historic events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of the OPEC+ alliance with Russia and other non-OPEC states, and Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.