The Senate was thrown into mourning on Thursday following the death of the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Barinada Mpigi. He was 64.
A source within the National Assembly confirmed that Mpigi passed away after a brief illness. Until his death, he served in the 10th National Assembly as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, a strategic committee responsible for oversight of federal road infrastructure and related projects across the country.
Mpigi began his federal legislative journey in the House of Representatives, where he was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016.
In 2019, he won election to the Senate on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District.
During the 9th Assembly, he chaired a joint Senate committee set up to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta a critical assignment amid declining oil revenues and widespread pipeline vandalism.
News of his death filtered into the chamber during Thursday’s proceedings, casting a sombre mood over lawmakers who had gathered for budget defence sessions.
Senator Mohammed Onawo, representing Nasarawa South, paid tribute to the late lawmaker and urged colleagues to honour his memory.
A minute’s silence was subsequently observed in his honour.
Tributes also poured in from the House of Representatives. Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, described Mpigi as a dear friend and prayed for the repose of his soul.
Mpigi’s death comes barely three months after the passing of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented Enugu North Senatorial District in the 10th Senate.
His family had clarified at the time that he died at a private hospital in Lagos after a brief illness.
With Mpigi’s passing, the Senate has once again been confronted with the loss of a serving member, deepening concerns over the number of deaths recorded in the current Assembly.
