His death was announced in the early hours of Wednesday by NNPC GMD, Mele Kyari, who described his departure as a great loss to his immediate family, NNPC Nigeria, OPEC and global energy community.

Burial arrangements will be announced shortly.

Though the cause of his death has not been disclosed, Barkindo was received at the State House Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari, who lauded the outgoing OPEC secretary general’s six-year tenure and described him as a worthy ambassador of Nigeria.