Pila Niningi

Pila Kole Ninigi is a Papua New Guinea politician. He is a Member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, and represented the seat of Imbonggu Open from 1997 to 1998 and was re-elected to the seat in 2017.

The Honourable Pila Niningi MP
Minister for Inter-Government Relations
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2019
Prime Minister	James Marape
Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology
In office 9 August 2017 – 31 May 2019
Prime Minister	Peter O'Neill
Succeeded by	Pila Niningi
Member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
Incumbent
Assumed office 2017
Constituency	Imbonggu Open
Minister for Public Services
In office 21 October 1998 – 28 October 1998
Prime Minister	Bill Skate
Member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
In office 1997 – 28 October 1998
Preceded by	Peter Peipul
Succeeded by	Peter Peipul
Constituency	Imbonggu Open
Personal details
Nationality	Papua New Guinean
Political party	Pangu Pati
Other political affiliations	Independent
Alma mater	University of Papua New Guinea

Early life

Niningi graduated from the University of Papua New Guinea with a Bachelor of Laws.

Political career

He was first elected to the National Parliament in the 1997 general election. He was declared the winner of the seat on 14 August 1998 following a recount which was ordered by the Court of Disputed Returns. He was appointed as Minister for Public Services in October 1998 under Bill Skate, but was disqualified from Parliament by a Supreme Court decision on 28 October 1998.

He was later re-elected to the National Parliament in the 2017 general election as an Independent. He was appointed as Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in the O'Neill-Abel Cabinet. He was then appointed as Minister for Inter-Government Relations on 7 June 2019 as part of the First Marape Cabinet.