The message reads as follows:

“Dear professor Odulaja

I received the sad news of passing away of our brother Barkindo, our distinguished Secretary General, with shock, disbelief and a heavy heart. As I said in the last BoG meeting when we gathered in his honor to recognize his many services to OPEC members and the international community as a whole, he was a “gentleman and a scholar”. He will be dearly missed as a friend and as an international leader.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends and to people of Nigeria as well as to all OPEC governors.

Amir Zamaninia

Iran”

Secretary General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo died on Tuesday at 63.

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.