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, âMaster, I will not leave you.â
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has paid a solemn tribute to the late Senator Barina Barry Mpigi at the funeral in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike pays tribute to Senator Barina Barry Mpigi.
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 as Wike pays tribute to late senator
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?”
Nigerians have started reacting to the weeping of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while paying tribute to Senator Barina Barry Mpigi, at his burial in Port Harcourt.
Nigerians react as Nyesom Wike weeps at the burial of Senator Barina Barry Mpigi.
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 said:
“He had to fix the burial the same day King Dandison is to be buried, or is King Dandison not his friend again?”
Watch Wike’s video on X here:
Fourth senator in 10th assembly dies
Earlier reported that the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district, Barinada Mpigi, died on Thursday, February 19.
Mpigi was the fourth senator who passed away since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Some Nigerians took to the social media page of the lawmaker who announced the development to mourn the senator.
