The immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, has died.

He died on Friday night. He was 60 years old.

The current GMD of NNPC, Mele Kyari, announced Baru’s death via his verified Twitter handle early Saturday morning.

 “My brother, my friend and my mentor, Dr Maikanti Kachalla Baru, immediate past GMD of NNPC died late last night,” Kyari tweeted.

“He was of exemplary character and disposition. May Allah forgive him and have mercy upon him.”

Baru was appointed GMD of the state-run oil corporation by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2016, holding the position until 2019.

In July 2019 when he clocked the age of 60, he announced his retirement from NNPC and was succeeded by Kyari.

Baru was born in July 1959 in Misau, Bauchi state.

He attended Federal Government College, Jos for his secondary education where he graduated in 1978.

The former NNPC GMD obtained his bachelor of engineering degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1982

Baru had a doctorate degree in Computer Aided Engineering from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

He was the 18th degree GMD of NNPC.