Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja received OPEC Secretary General, Mr. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, and the delegation from the OPEC Secretariat.
The meeting, according to the statement by OPEC, is an honour for Barkindo, whose two-term tenure as Secretary General of the organization will be ending this month.
Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari said: “Welcome back home!” adding, “We are proud of your distinguished achievements at OPEC. You were able to successfully navigate the organization through turbulent challenges.”
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resource, Chief Timipre Sylva, echoed President Buhari’s remarks, thanking the Secretary General for his six years of leadership.
“Mr Barkindo has steered the heavily loaded Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) ship through … turbulent waters, against all formidable obstacles,” adding, “He spearheaded the historic ‘Algeria Accord’ in September 2016, which paved the way for the equally historic DoC between 23 oil-producing countries – a feat that had never been achieved in the oil industry.”
“Mr Barkindo is a strong believer in multilateralism and cooperation,” Minister Sylva highlighted,” he said.
In his remarks, the Secretary General said: “I and my colleagues from the OPEC Secretariat are deeply honoured by your audience, Mr President, as well as of the honourable Minister Sylva and other senior officials of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”
He also briefed the President on oil market developments and the vital role played by the Declaration of Cooperation in stabilizing the global oil market over the past six years.
Barkindo’s term as Secretary General ends on July 31, 2022.
“Also today, he delivered a keynote address at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, which runs from 4-7 July 2022,” the statement said.
Mallam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organization and other senior officials of the Nigerian petroleum industry attended the meeting.
Nigeria joined OPEC in 1971 and marked its 50th anniversary in OPEC in 2021.
GIK/APA