The pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu has expressed deep shock over the death of the former GMD of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Barkindo who is the outgoing Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) died last Tuesday night at the age of 63.
Ribadu urged family, associates, friends and the international community to accept the death of Barkindo with equanimity because of the fact that he lived a life worthy of emulation.
Ribadu said the death of the administrator has left him dejected and confused because of his close affinity with the deceased saying that he would have attended the burial rights of a worthy associate and friend was he not in Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
“I received the death of Barkindo with a sense of personal loss being a childhood friend and a brother. Barkindo is a man of excellence who served our country diligently and left behind indelible marks in the sands of time.
“Posterity will judge him as a rare patriot who sacrificed his whole life in service to the motherland which he did with passion and commitment till he breathed last.
“I pray Allah to reserve the best place for him in paradise,” Ribadu said.
