82 BLOOMBERG MARKETS
Leaders With Lacqua / Backstage
ILLUSTRATION BY AISTĖ STANCIKAITĖ FOR BLOOMBERG MARKETSMohammad Sanusi Barkindo
The secretary general of OPEC
since 2016 had years of experience
in Nigeria’s government and
petroleum industry. Here he divulges
some of his off-duty habits
and preferences to Bloomberg TV’s
Francine Lacqua, co-anchor of
Bloomberg Surveillance and host
of Leaders With Lacqua.
How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Normally between seven and eight.What time do you set your alarm to wake up?
For 6 a.m. to pray al-Fajr.Are you a morning or evening person?
Evening.Do you have an essential morning ritual?
My prayers. And a glass of water.What’s your typical workout?
It is more a mental workout for me.What’s your favorite sport or sports team?
Football. The Nigerian national football team,
the Super Eagles.Which app is in heavy rotation on your phone?
WhatsApp.What’s your go-to lunch spot?
Le Couscous in Vienna.Who is your favorite author?
I have always loved reading Shakespeare. And the
great poet and scholar Rumi.What’s your favorite place to go on vacation?
It has to be returning to my home city of Yola.
It’s where I can see family, relax, recharge,
and reconnect with my roots.What living or historical person do you
truly admire?
Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, the former OPEC secretary
general. The most decent person I have ever met.If you had to take a year off, what would you do?
I think I would go back to university. To research
and write.What is your biggest fear?
The breakdown of international institutions
and the global order.If you were 20, what business would you get into?
It would be the oil and gas sector, with a focus
on technologies that can help reduce emissions.Do you ever expect to retire?
Yes, but to return to academia.