It is with great sadness and loss that I announce the recent death of our friend and colleague, Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He died at 11 pm on Tuesday, July 5, at 63 years of age.
His Excellency Barkindo was recently appointed as an honorary professor of international studies at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB).
“The death of the esteemed Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo is a tremendous loss to Nigeria, OPEC, and AUIB. We were looking forward to his input as an honorary member of our faculty. We came to know HE Barkindo as a gifted intellectual with tremendous knowledge of the global energy sector. His presence at the university will be greatly missed,” according to Dr. Michael W. Mulnix, President of AUIB.
Barkindo was recently on the AUIB campus and, after touring the facilities, expressed his pride in being an honorary faculty member. He had invited President Mulnix to come to Nigeria and visit the American University of Nigeria, a private university in Yola, the capital of Adamawa, Nigeria.
Barkindo was received at the Nigerian State House Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari, who praised the outgoing OPEC secretary general’s six-year tenure.
“He will be greatly missed not only in his home country but throughout the world. He was an outstanding ambassador who was known for his intellect and his fine sense of humor. We send our deepest respects and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues,” Mulnix said.
Office of the President