[2][3] Barkindo began his career in 1982 at the Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC), which he left in 1986 at the level of principal administrative officer.

Shortly before leaving NMC, he was hired as a special assistant of Rilwanu Lukman, Nigeria’s Minister of Oil and Energy.

[4] He remained in this position until 1989, during which he was also the head of the office of the chairman of the board at the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Nigeria was not calling for production regulation to raise prices, and was not directly involved in existing tensions between Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran.

[9] In his first remarks about the appointment, Barkindo acknowledged the diplomatic nature of the position, hoping that the members would be willing to "sit down and talk" over policy differences.

[10] To this end, he aimed to develop personal rapport with the heads of state in OPEC member countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Iran.

[14] He also led summits with the European Union in 2020[15] and 2022,[16] and delivered a keynote speech at the 23rd annual World Petroleum Congress in Houston, Texas in late 2021.

[18] Barkindo agreed to become a distinguished fellow at the Global Energy Center of the Atlantic Council upon completing his term as Secretary General[19] on 31 July 2022.

[25] The Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development gave Barkindo a "Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of OPEC" in 2018.