Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), died on Tuesday night, Mele Kyari, the chief executive of Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) said on Wednesday.

"We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo. He died at about 11pm yesterday 5th July 2022. Certainly a great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC, our country Nigeria, the OPEC and the global energy community. Burial arrangements will be announced shortly," he tweeted. 

Barkindo, Nigerian, was 63 years old. 

The cause of his death was not immediately known. 

From August 2016 until his death, he has served as OPEC's secretary general.