Nigerian Senator Dies: Grief as Wike Moved to Tears
- Nyesom Wike, the minister of the FCT, has been moved to tears while speaking at the funeral of Senator Barinada Barry Mpigi in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State
- Wike, who was a two-term governor of Rivers, recalled how the late Rivers senator would visit him at his Abuja residence and pledge loyalty to him
- Mpigi died at the age of 64 on Thursday, February 19, and the minister's tribute has started generating mixed reactions from Nigerians
Port Harcourt, Rivers state - The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was moved to tears while paying tribute to the late Senator Barinada Barry Mpigi in Port Harcourt on Thursday, April 9.
Wike, who was the immediate past governor of Rivers state, recalled how the late senator, who was from the same state, would visit him at his residence in Abuja and continuously pledged his loyalty by saying, “Master, I will not leave you.”
Source: Twitter
Mpigi, the senator representing the South-East senatorial district in Rivers, died at the age of 64 on Thursday, February 19. He was born on June 23, 1961. He was a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until his death.
Profile of Senator Barinada Mpigi
Senator Mpigi was first elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 2011 and 2015. He became an elected senator in 2019, representing the Rivers South-East senatorial district under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was re-elected in 2023.
In the 9th National Assembly, he served as the chairman of the joint Senate committee saddled with the responsibility of investigating the oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Mpigi would be the fourth senator who died since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly after the 2023 general election. The first senator to die was Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, followed by Senator Okey Ezea and Senator Godiya Akwashiki.
Alabi, in a social media post, mourned the demise of the Rivers senator and recalled that "he was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works."
Reactions trailed Wike's emotional moment
However, Wike's comment at the funeral of the late senator has started generating reactions from Nigerians. Below are some of their comments:
Samuel Adebimpe described the death of Mpigi as a reminder of the vanity of life:
"And now he left him. Let Wike know that this world is just for a time. He failed to tell the truth to his allies, and now he is gone. We all will one day go face-to-face with our creator. Did he go with anything?"
Source: Twitter
Wuchendu O. Wuchendu said the death did not teach politicians a lesson:
"Baba, leave us alone. Has the death of Sen. Mpigi Bari taught them anything, no, they remain greedy, self-centred, rascals in all they do."
Mark 7 explained the agony of death:
"Every man has a breaking point. There are people you will lose, and you won't be able to stomach it."
Port-Harcourt Breed
"He had to fix the burial the same day King Dandison is to be buried, or is King Dandison not his friend again?"
You can see the video of the minister on X here:
Fourth senator in 10th assembly dies
Legit.ng earlier reported that Barinada Mpigi, a top senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district, has reportedly died on Thursday, February 19.
Mpigi was the fourth senator to die since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Some Nigerians have taken to the social media page of the lawmaker who announced the development to mourn the senator.
Source: Legit.ng
