By Ibrahim Muye Yahaya
He could give you his full interest for a few seconds and leave you with the feelings you mattered. This is a feature you will identify in very few individuals. It is poignant and profound. That is because people occupying powerful positions more regularly depict haughtiness and edginess.
It could be accurate such people are usually fairly busy, which explains their limited time for benevolence or small talk. That is the usual behaviour you sort of expect. And, then, that was the ‘Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo way’. Barkindo was used to titles, glamour and recognitions of all sorts.
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Yet such attention would not make his voice louder. Here was a sophisticated player gifted of enhancing his stature by doing the opposite: restricting his appearances, signifying meekness, and lowering the tone of his voice when talking to the powerful or the vulnerable. Almost everyone that came across this rare combination of charm and poise was conquered. Barkindo was a rare gentleman that transmitted noble upbringing and natural politeness.
Late Sanusi was a personality archetype being so extraordinary; it was no surprise everybody that crossed him would pretend they knew him. In fact, in an odd way, they did. They could, even if they just saw him for a few seconds, connect the man with his public persona; so detectable and discernible. For Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members, industry experts, staff, envoys, media – the connection was even stronger. He was their Secretary-General, someone approachable, sincere and capable of acknowledging his and the organization’s shortcomings. He was almost predictable in his demeanour and was so popular that many minders rushed to shake his hand and have photographs with him at conferences, meetings and exhibitions. His beliefs and ideas went on to mould not just the development of Nigerian oil sector, but OPEC and the global oil industry. He had been a recurring decimal in the oil industry for almost than three decades, holding portfolios in the Nigerian oil sector and OPEC to his last breath on earth.
If the world has to mention one person who has taken the name of Nigeria to every corner of the globe in the oil and gas industry, then that person would be, without any dispute, the late internationally-known oil guru, climate change expert and a global public servant, Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo. Nigeria has produced many intellectuals and technocrats with enormous talents in different fields, but alas it has become a long-established penchant that people from the third-world countries usually forget their origin once they become famous and gain world recognition. Many of them choose not to associate with their home country and continents any longer, but instead, acquire new citizenship that is more appealing to their new fame. But he was different. He did not forget his homeland, country and the continent. What a true son of Nigeria and Africa he was!
Late Sanusi Barkindo was respected and revered not only in Nigeria and globally within the energy sector, where he held sway for more many years. His humour projected his self-confidence as well as his “joie de vivre”. He had a realistic view of the contemporary world especially in the field of Oil, Gas and Climate change; he was a great analyst, a determined person, realistic and also a tactician to get things done. Dr. Sanusi was sought out by many who desired to benefit from his wealth of knowledge where he was a servant to the Nigerian Government and its petroleum industry. He was, in the reckoning of many, a powerful figure in Nigeria’s and global contemporary political history.
The oil cartel could not have made a better choice, given his decades of experience in the oil and gas industry. To those who knew him, he was not only meticulous but a silent achiever, a genuine team player is passionate about achieving set goals. For example, OPEC under his leadership successfully signed Algiers Accord in September 2016, Vienna Decision in November 2016 on adjustment of 1.2 Mb/d from 11 OPEC‐ member countries, Joint Declaration of Cooperation between OPEC and Non-OPEC members in December 2016 on adjustment of 0.6 Mb/d from 11 non‐OPEC participating countries, affiliation between 25 sovereign producing nations, oil market stability reintroduced, a transparent and fully accessible platform open to all producers and positive change in perceptions of OPEC. The multi-national oil organisation under him curbed the challenges of supply, unity, stability and strategic partnership with Non-OPEC member nations.
In January 2009, while acting as the Secretary-General of OPEC, Late President Umaru Yar’adua appointed him as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Moving swiftly, he authorized the hiring of consultants to assist with defining the scope of change required to bring international benchmark and best practices to his transformation mandate. Dr Barkindo led the development of a transformation agenda for the NNPC where he identified the key failing factors and measures were taken to redress them. As the GMD, at the Directorates of Corporate Services (CS) and Refining and Petrochemicals (R & P) cost-saving measures were introduced. These included the re-negotiation of contracts with suppliers and the reduction of chemical consumption through a cutback in steam losses and overheads respectively. The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and Finance and Accounts Directorate also witnessed cuts in demurrage cost, interest on late payment and cost-saving measures through the imposition of a budget cap to limit spending. While the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) witnessed revenue boost through the collection of debts from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and other commercial debtors.
As a person with a gawk of the future, areas such as growth in oil reserves, expansion in production capacity, repositioning regional, export penetration and revitalizing downstream capacity to support domestic energy all witnessed revolution during his tenure as the GMD. A veteran advocate of Climate Change Initiative (CCI), he helped NNPC in capturing the benefits of carbon credits that would accrue from gas utilization efforts. His experience of high level international oil and gas best practices saw seen him play a pivotal role in the move to activate the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). In the downstream sector as the GMD of NNPC, he worked round the clock to provide lasting solution to the perennial challenge of artificial fuel scarcity wrought by plethora of extraneous factors like Tanker Driver’s strike, pipeline vandalism and refusal of credit facility to marketers by banks among others.
Born in Yola, Adamawa State on 20th April 1959. After his Islamic, Primary and Secondary Education in 1977, he gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University where he graduated with a BSc Degree in Political Science in 1981. From 1981to 1982, he did his compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) with the Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC), Jos. From 1982–85, he worked with NMC up to the level of Principal Administrative Officer, Liaison Office, Lagos. From 1984 to 1990, he served as the Special Assistant to his mentor, Late Dr. Rilwanu Lukman as the Minister of Mines, Power and Steel, Minister of Petroleum Resources and Head, Office of the Chairman of NNPC Board and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
From 1991 to 2009, he served in various capacities at NNPC, namely, Head, International Investments, NNPC Headquarters; Head, International Trade, NNPC London Office; President Duke, Oil Inc; Chairman, NAPOIL; and General Manager, NNPC London Office. He was the Managing Director/Chief Executive, HYSON/CALSON — an international trading arm of the NNPC; GGM Investments, NNPC Headquarters; Deputy Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Coordinator Special Projects at NNPC. He oversaw all Federal Government projects vested in the NNPC as Coordinator. He participated as a member of the Oil and Gas Industry Reform Implementation Committee (OGIC) that produced the original draft Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) and Served on several Boards of NNPC investee companies and international trading companies and served as the GMD of NNPC from January 2009 to April 2010.
As someone with incredible and unquenchable thirst for knowledge, in 1988 he was at Oxford University where he obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics. He was also at Washington State University where he obtained his MBA in Finance and Banking (1991) and from 2012 to 2016 he participated in a Fellowship Programme at George Mason University, Fairfax VA, USA, where he undertook a research in the field of Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. From 1986 to 2010, he served in the following international capacities: member, of Nigerian Delegation to OPEC Ministerial Conferences; Nigeria’s Representative at OPEC’s Economic Commission Board (ECB); Acting OPEC Secretary General; Chaired Economic Commission Board (ECB); Nigeria’s Governor for OPEC; Ad-hoc-OPEC Governor at various times; Ministerial Conferences; Chairman of the OPEC Task Force of the 15th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD); spearheaded OPEC/European Union dialogue on Energy Markets Taxation and Environment, an architect of the first Long Term Strategy (LTS) at OPEC; founder and delegate to the formation of the African Petroleum Producers Association (APPA) in Algiers, 1986. He was a pioneer member of the International Energy Forum (IEF) where he helped strengthen and consolidate OPEC/non-OPEC cooperation and dialogue.
As a Climate Change enthusiast, he led Nigeria’s technical delegations to the climate change negotiations since its inception in 1991 that produced the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC. In 2002, he served as Coordinator, Group of 77 and China at UNFCCC. He was the only Nigerian delegate to attend all fifteen conferences of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC COP1 in Berlin 1995 to COP15 in Copenhagen 2010. He was elected Vice-President of COP13 of the UNFCCC in Bali, Indonesia in 2007; Vice President at COP14 in Poznan, Poland in 2008 and Vice-President at COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.
As we stare to remember this awe-inspiring man that worked hard for the Nigerian oil sector and OPEC; with a sense of sound ethics, hard-work with strong moral compass, an unrelenting dedication to the industry. Everyone whose life Barkindo touched will always remember this self-effacing man, who fulfilled his life’s purpose of service of service and, in the process, achieved the triumph of character over circumstances. Like many people he helped or protected, his number one canon was discretion. Although this is a personal tribute, I am convinced many people have similar stories from his towering character. He touched deeply those who had a chance and privileged to cross his path.
Throughout his public life, he proved that he was capable not only of thinking in abstract, but also acting pragmatically. He has run his race and won his laurels. There is time to be born and time to die. May Allah accept his soul, forgives all his shortcomings and rewards him with unconditional Aljannah Fir’dausi.
Mr. Yahaya wrote from Abuja. [email protected]
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