Barkindo’s appointment was on Thursday, announced in Vienna, Austria after the 169th meeting of the group.
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Barkindo will succeed long-time secretary general of the organisation, Abdalla El-Badri of Libya, from August.
There are now effectively only two candidates for the position: the Nigerian and Indonesian nominees, Iran’s Zanganeh said. “That would be one of the priorities to go forward”, Barkindo told reporters.
The consensus of all members, which in the past had sometimes been elusive, is required for the appointment of a new secretary-general. “He’s highly respected and qualified”, said Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih.
The 13-member oil cartel has tried unsuccessfully for more than three years to find a replacement for the current secretary-general, who was due to stand down in 2012 after serving two terms in the role.
Barkindo started his career as a member of the Nigerian delegation to OPEC in 1986 when the late Dr. Rilwanu Lukman was Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Barkindo spent more than 23 years at NNPC, where he served in various capacities including deputy managing director of Nigeria LNG, head of the worldwide trading unit and manager of the state-run company’s London office.
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He was the National Representative for OPEC between 1993 and 2008. His candidacy has been supported by Ecuador.
