There was grief at the National Assembly on Thursday following the death of the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Barinada Mpigi, who died at the age of 64 after a brief illness.

News of Mpigi’s passing filtered into the Senate chamber during plenary, casting a sombre mood over lawmakers who had gathered for budget defence sessions.

Colleagues across both chambers of the National Assembly described his death as a painful loss, recalling his years of legislative service and leadership.

Until his death, Mpigi represented Rivers South-East in the 10th National Assembly and chaired the influential Committee on Works, which oversees federal road infrastructure and related projects across the country.

Lawmakers noted that his role placed him at the centre of national infrastructure oversight and development.

Speaking during the session of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, the lawmaker representing Nasarawa South in the 10th National Assembly, Senator Mohammed Onawo, paid glowing tribute to the late Rivers senator and urged colleagues to honour his memory.

Lawmakers were subsequently asked to observe a minute’s silence in his honour.

“May his gentle soul rest in peace,” Ogoshi said.

Members of the House of Representatives also joined in mourning the late senator, describing him as a dedicated public servant whose contributions spanned over a decade in the National Assembly.

Mpigi began his legislative career in the House of Representatives, where he was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016.

He later moved to the Senate in 2019 after winning election to represent Rivers South-East on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

During the 9th Assembly, he was appointed chairman of a joint Senate committee set up to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region — an assignment considered critical at a time when the country grappled with declining oil revenues and widespread pipeline vandalism.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, paid tribute to the late senator on his official X handle on Thursday.

He wrote, “Good night, my dear friend. Rest in Peace, Senator Mpigi Barinada. Sen Mpigi represented Rivers South East in the Senate”.

As tributes continued to stream in, colleagues remembered Mpigi for his service in both the House and the Senate, and for his leadership of the Senate Committee on Works until his death.

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