The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Barkindo, died in Nigeria at the age of 64. The managing director of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mele Kyari, said on his official Twitter page on Wednesday.
"We have lost our esteemed Dr. Mohammed Barkindo. Undoubtedly, this is a great loss for his relatives as well as for Nigeria and the entire international community," Kyari wrote. He also noted that the Nigerian-born Barkindo died last night. Information about the funeral will be given later. The cause of death was not specified.
Shortly before his death, the OPEC secretary-general spoke at an international energy conference in Nigeria and then met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who highly praised Barkindo for his six years in high office.
Mohammed Barkindo had held the post since 2016, his second term expiring this month. According to the OPEC charter, the secretary-general is elected for a three-year term and can be re-elected once.
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Based on materials from TASS