The Federal Government’s nominee for the position of OPEC (Petroleum Exporting Countries) Secretary-General, Mohammed Barkindo, has been chosen for the position.
Barkindo has 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry.
Before his current appointment, Barkindo has held positions including acting head of the OPEC in 2006. He also ran Nigeria’s state owned oil corporation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) between 2009 and 2010.
The nomination comes at a critical time for OPEC, which is grappling with divisions among its 13 member nations over how to deal with the collapse in global oil prices.
Some members like Venezuela want OPEC to cut its own oil production to reduce supply and raise prices, while others like Saudi Arabia want to let market forces work mostly on their own.
Barkindo will be saddled with the responsibility of reconciling the interests at play within OPEC.
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