Nigeria fields former NNPC boss Mohammed Barkindo as its candidate for Opec secretary

NIGERIA has forwarded the name of the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) managing director Mohammed Barkindo to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) as its candidate to become the group's next general secretary.

 

Made up of the world's 13 oil exporters, Opec, which was founded in 1960, accounts for 40% of total world production and its members sit on about 73% of the world's proven oil reserves. Nigeria joined Opec in 1971 and has been a leading member of the group, producing a former secretary in one-time oil minister Rilwanu Lukman.

 

Opec has tried unsuccessfully for more than three years to find a replacement for the current secretary-general Abdullah El-Badri, who was due to stand down in 2012 after serving two terms in the role. However because no one suitable could be found, at Opec’s last meeting in December, Mr El-Badri’s term was extended until July 2016.

 

Political rivalries between Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq have prevented the group from settling on candidates that each of them proposed. Their disagreement over choosing a successor flared again at the December 4 meeting as the slump in oil prices heightened tensions over the direction of the group’s policy.

 

To break the impasse, Nigeria is proposing Mr Barkindo as a compromise candidate in the hope that he will be acceptable to all of the protagonists. Mr Barkindo worked at NNPC until 2010, representing Nigeria at Opec's meetings and served as the group's acting secretary-general in 2006.

 

John Hall, the chairman of consultants Alfa Energy, said: "Barkindo would be well placed in the secretary-general role and could offer a smooth transition out of the current deadlock, enabling the Opec secretariat to resume operations at full strength. He knows how Opec operates and is known to many delegates.”

 

Opec delegates had previously said Indonesia, Nigeria or Angola were the most likely countries to produce the group’s leader because they were seen as neutral in the group’s geo-political disagreements. Another oil official from the region said Mr Barkindo is very popular and experienced but his success would depend on whether Indonesia fields a candidate.

 

A Nigerian candidate would be a better option to reach a consensus because members like Iran would never approve a Saudi candidate. Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals for power in the Middle East and at odds over the civil war in Syria and violent conflicts in Yemen.