Rivers South-East Senator Mpigi dies at 64
• Wike’s political family, Rivers in shock Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Barinada Barinada Mpigi, has died. He was 64. Until his demise yesterday, Mpigi represented Rivers South-East
• Wike’s political family, Rivers in shock
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Barinada Barinada Mpigi, has died.
He was 64.
Until his demise yesterday, Mpigi represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the 10th Senate.
He was born on June 23, 1961.
The late lawmaker was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and was reelected for a second term in 2016.
In 2019, he was elected as the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
During the Ninth Assembly, Mpigi was appointed chairman of a joint Senate committee set up to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
The Senate Committee on Culture, Art and Creative Economy confirmed the development when it observed a minute silence in his honour during its budget defence session yesterday.
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Mpigi’s demise has sent shockwaves across Rivers State, particularly the political family of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike.
Though the real cause of his death had yet to be made public, sources, who saw him a few days ago, said he looked frail.
He was known for his closeness and loyalty to Wike.
The late Mpigi was among the first set of senators from Rivers State to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He defected alongside Senator Onyesoh Alwell, a move that followed a mass of lawmakers from the PDP to the APC.
Mpigi served as the Local Government Chairman of Tai between 1999 and 2001 and Commissioner for Youth Affairs in the administration of former Governor Peter Odili between 2001 and 2002.
He was also reelected the Chairman of Tai between 2011 and 2015, from where he proceeded to the House of Assembly.
Mpigi began his elementary education at Koroma in Rivers State; attended the Government Secondary Commercial School, Ibaa and later bagged a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration in 1984, among other academic qualifications.
Reacting to Mpigi’s demise, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara expressed shock and sadness.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Onwuka Nzeshi, the governor said Mpigi died at a critical time when his services were still needed by the people of Rivers.
The governor commiserated with his immediate family, the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District and the Senate, asking them to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived a good life and impacted positively on the people.
