By Deborah Coker
Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC-Delta) and Chairman Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation on Friday mourned his late colleague, Sen. Barinada Mpigi.
Mpigi representing the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, died Feb. 19, at the age of 64.
Nwoko representing Delta North Senatorial District in his tribute to the late lawmaker in Abuja, said that the news of the death of Mpigi, still carried an air of unreality even a week after he died.
According to him, there are departures that announce themselves with a jolt, and there are those that linger in disbelief long after the first shock has settled.
“The passing of Sen. Barinada Mpigi is one of those losses that remains difficult to process. Even a week later, it still carries an air of unreality.
“He was, in every sense, a well cherished political giant, a steady pillar in the politics of Rivers whose relevance was not momentary but earned over time.
“The depth of affection his people held for him was demonstrated consistently in the trust and support they accorded him throughout his public life.
“From his tenure as Council Chairman, to his service in the House of Representatives, and ultimately as the Distinguished Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District in the 10th Assembly, the people stood with him.”
Nwoko noted that loyalty of that nature was rarely accidental.
“It is cultivated through accessibility, presence, and an enduring bond with one’s constituency,” he said.
He added that beyond Rivers, the late Mpigi wove himself seamlessly into Abbi in Ndokwa, Delta North, the homeland of his beloved wife, Mrs Patricia Obiageri Mpigi.
“He did not merely visit, he integrated. Abbi was a place he embraced as home. He identified with the community not in words alone but in action – through project executions.
“He understood the value of honouring people publicly, strengthening communal pride, and reinforcing shared ownership of development.
“I was honoured to be among those he acknowledged during the commissioning of street light projects in Abbi. That gesture reflected the largeness of his political temperament.
“His demise is not only a profound loss to the Ogoni people of Rivers, who cherished him and demonstrated that affection through unwavering political support across the years.
“It is equally a loss to Abbi, which he embraced as family, and indeed, it is a loss to Nigeria,” he said.
The lawmaker further said that some realities do not settle until the final rites, and until the solemn lowering into Mother Earth compelled acceptance.
“Perhaps then the weight of this absence will fully register.
“For now, what remains clear is this: he lived as a bridge builder, served as a stabilising force, and was loved in a manner that only true connection can produce.
“May his memory endure with the dignity he embodied,” Nwoko said.
NAN