There was a wave of grief inside Nigeria’s National Assembly on Thursday after news broke that Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District, had died at the age of 64 following a brief illness.
The late lawmaker, a prominent political figure from Rivers State, served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works — a powerful position responsible for oversight of federal road infrastructure and major national projects.
Sources said information about his death filtered into the Senate chamber during plenary, immediately casting a sombre mood over lawmakers who had gathered for budget defence sessions.
Colleagues across both the Senate and House of Representatives described his passing as a painful loss, praising his long years of service, leadership, and dedication to national development.
During a session of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Mohammed Onawo paid glowing tribute, urging lawmakers to honour Mpigi’s legacy. Members subsequently observed a minute of silence in his memory.
Until his death, Mpigi was serving in the 10th National Assembly after being elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. He first entered the National Assembly in 2011 as a member of the House of Representatives and was re-elected before moving to the Senate in 2019.
In the 9th Assembly, he chaired a joint Senate committee tasked with investigating crude oil theft in the Niger Delta — a critical assignment at a time when Nigeria faced declining oil revenues and widespread pipeline vandalism.
Tributes also poured in from lawmakers, including House Committee on Works Chairman Akin Alabi, who described the late senator as a dear friend and dedicated public servant.
As mourning continues within legislative circles, colleagues remember Mpigi as a committed lawmaker whose influence spanned over a decade of service in both chambers of Nigeria’s parliament.
