ABUJA, Nigeria — The secretary-general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has died, Nigerian officials and an oil cartel announced Wednesday. Just hours before his death, he met with Nigeria’s president and spoke out in defense of the energy industry amid growing pressure from climate change.
Mohammad Barkindo, 63, died late Tuesday in Abuja, a spokesman for Nigeria’s petroleum ministry told The Associated Press. The cause of his death was not immediately known. The Vienna-based oil cartel also confirmed his death, saying he was a “much-loved leader” of OPEC.
His death came as a surprise to industry insiders. His second term as OPEC chief was due to end in three weeks on July 31. He held the post for six years from 2016.
Barkindo’s death was first confirmed in a tweet by the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Mele Kyari.
The OPEC statement said Barkindo’s last words to friends were that he was happy to end his term as secretary-general, that he had served to the best of his ability and that he was proud of those who had served with him.
Barkindo has led the crude oil bloc through some of its most tumultuous periods in recent times, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, when oil prices collapsed due to falling demand. He helped lead the group, working to keep its members’ positions united.
OPEC’s 13 member countries have 1.24 billion in proven crude oil reserves between them, or 80% of the world’s share. Of the total world production of crude oil, the share of OPEC producers is just under 38%.
His role as OPEC’s representative has taken on even greater importance in recent years amid global efforts to tackle climate change. Barkindo is using his platform to advocate for a greater role for the energy industry in the energy transition conversation. That puts him firmly on the side of oil producers, who say more investment in oil and gas is needed until the world can run on alternative forms of energy.
“Our industry now faces enormous challenges on multiple fronts, and these threaten our investment potential now and in the long term. To put it bluntly, the oil and gas industry is under siege,” he said hours before his death at an energy conference in Nigeria.
Scientists and authors of UN-backed studies say the world needs to more than halve its coal, oil and gas production over the next decade to keep global warming from reaching dangerous levels. To do that, they say, investment in oil and gas must stop and be redirected to cleaner forms of energy.
Barkindo’s legacy, however, is perhaps most closely associated with his final years at the helm of OPEC, as the group struck a deal known as OPEC+ with major non-OPEC producer Russia. That agreement, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, has helped stabilize oil markets as the world emerges from the pandemic, although it has come under fire amid current high oil prices and as the US and other Western nations try to squeeze the economy of Russia because of the war in Ukraine. Brent crude has soared above $100 a barrel this year.
OPEC member countries accounted for about 48% of all global crude oil exports last year. Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of crude oil within OPEC, with 6.23 million barrels per day of crude oil exports last year. Russia, a non-OPEC producer, exported 4.5 million barrels of crude oil last year.
Born in the eastern city of Yola in Nigeria, Barkindo started his career at the Nigerian Mining Corporation in 1982 before holding multiple roles for over two decades at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, including as its CEO. He was also the Deputy Managing Director of Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas.
He led Nigeria’s technical delegation to the United Nations climate change negotiations for years and served several terms as Vice President of the United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change.
He attended university in Nigeria before obtaining a postgraduate degree in petroleum economics from the University of Oxford in the UK and an MBA from the University of Washington in the US
During their meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told Barkindo, “Welcome home!” according to an OPEC readout of the meeting. Buhari also congratulated him on his tenure in OPEC. Nigeria has been an OPEC member for 50 years .
Barkindo was due to join the Atlantic Council as a distinguished fellow next month after he ends his term at OPEC. He was a frequent speaker at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum.
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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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