Mohammed Barkindo mourns Ahmed Zaki Yamani, former OPEC scribe who died at 90
OpenLife Nigeria reports that the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC , Mohammed Barkindo , has described late Ahmed Zaki Yamani as thorough bred.
Ahmed Zaki Yamani who helped lead 1973 oil embargo died at age 90.
He was a minister in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries for 25 years.
He passed away in London and will be buried in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca,
He was “the leading light in OPEC during his eventful years as oil minister,” OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said . “He was a very patient listener at our meetings. But once he spoke, every one paid attention with pin-drop silence. He was charismatic, with eloquence, yet humble and deeply religious.”
Sheikh Zaki Yamani served as Oil Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 24 years, between 1962 and 1986 died today in London aged 90.
He was the main man during the formation of OPEC and the Yom Kippur (Arab-Israel) war which led to the Middle East oil blockade of the US for backing Isreal and consequently global oil price boom.
In the 80s, the name Sheikh Yamani was a permanent feature in Current Affairs and international politics and economics.
In 1975, about the time King Faisal was assassinated by a nephew, he was among the oil ministers held hostage at the OPEC HQ in Vienna, Austria by a gang of terrorists led by the Venezuelan assassin named The Jackal.
Yamani was born in Mecca in 1930, when camels still roamed the streets of the holy city. His father and grandfather were religious teachers and Islamic lawyers. He ultimately studied at New York University and Harvard.
Twice married, he is survived by multiple children and grandchildren.
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