The Nigerian Senate was thrown into mourning on Thursday following the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District and served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works. He was 64.
A source within the National Assembly disclosed that the lawmaker died after a brief illness.
Until his passing, Mpigi was a member of the 10th National Assembly, where he headed the influential Works Committee responsible for oversight of federal road infrastructure and related projects nationwide.
He began his legislative career in the House of Representatives after his election in 2011 and re-election in 2016. In 2019, he won a seat in the Senate under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Rivers South-East.
During the 9th Assembly, he chaired a joint Senate committee tasked with investigating crude oil theft in the Niger Delta — a key assignment amid falling oil revenues and persistent pipeline vandalism.
News of his death reached the Senate chamber during Thursday’s proceedings, casting a sombre mood over lawmakers gathered for budget defence sessions.
Speaking at a session of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Mohammed Onawo paid tribute to the late Rivers lawmaker and urged colleagues to honour his legacy. A minute’s silence was subsequently observed in his memory.
Tributes also poured in from members of the House of Representatives. The Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, described Mpigi as a dear friend in a post on his official X handle.
Mpigi’s death comes barely three months after the passing of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented Enugu North in the 10th Senate.
With Mpigi’s demise, the Senate has once again been confronted with the loss of a serving member, deepening concerns over the recent string of deaths recorded in the current Assembly.
