The Secretary General of the OPEC oil cartel, Nigeria's Mohammed Barkindo, has died unexpectedly at the age of 63, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has stated.

"We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo.[…] Certainly a great loss to his immediate family, NNPC, our country Nigeria, OPEC and the global energy community. Burial arrangements will be announced soon," NNPC's chief executive Mele Kyari tweeted, without providing any further details about the circumstances of Barkindo's death, and only a few hours after the head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries had met with the Nigerian President in Abuja.

Barkindo’s unexpected death shocked the members of the oil and gas world, many of whom have regarded him as a giant in the industry.

His career spanned over four decades and included work for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Duke Oil, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy, as well as OPEC.

Since taking over as OPEC Secretary-General in 2016, Barkindo has overseen turbulent times for the oil producer group, which has seen volatile markets shaken by historical events including the COVID-19 pandemic and the creation of the OPEC+ alliance with Russia and other non-affiliated countries, in addition to Russia’s invasion this year of Ukraine.

Barkindo’s death comes at a time of volatile energy markets, global inflation, rising climate risks, the ongoing fallout from the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Conflicts and geopolitical sanctions have tightened oil supplies, pushing prices to multi-year highs amid fears of a global recession.