OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, has described the death of former Group Managing Director of NNPC, is a huge loss to the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
In a condolence message by OPEC’s Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Barkindo over the weekend, Barkindo eulogised Baru as a hardworking and committed person who believed in transparency and accountability.
“Dr. Maikanti Baru was a good and hardworking professional whom l had absolute confidence in both as his colleague in NNPC and, later, as GMD.
“As GMD of NNPC he repositioned the Corporation and the Nigeria’s oil Industry.
“He was workaholic, cerebral, humane, godly and kind-hearted,” he said.
Baru died after a brief illness in Abuja as confirmed by the spokesman of NNPC, Dr Kennie Obateru.
Barkindo prayed God almighty to grant his soul rest and expressed condolences to the family, the oil Industry and Nigeria at large.
Baru, 60, was at the helm of NNPC affairs from July 4, 2016 to July 7, 2019 when he retired.
He was born in July 1959 in Misau, Bauchi State, and attended Federal Government College, Jos, for his secondary education where he graduated in 1978.
He obtained his bachelor of engineering degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1982 and doctorate in Computer Aided Engineering from the University of Sussex.
