By Oluseye Ojo
The tragic and untimely death of Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe marks the end of an era in business, banking, and philanthropy.
Wigwe until his death on Friday February 9, 2024 was the Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings. He was killed in a helicopter crash in the United States along with his wife, Chizoba, his son, Chizi, a former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the pilot and the co-pilot.
The man, Herbert
Herbert Wigwe was a visionary and progressive business leader, philanthropist, and humanitarian. He played a crucial role in the economic and social transformation of Nigeria and the entire African continent.
Herbert was widely recognised as one of Africa’s most prominent corporate bankers. As the co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, he was responsible for shaping Access Bank into the global powerhouse it is today.
Herbert’s leadership style was characterised by his willingness to take risks and challenge the status quo. He not only revolutionised businesses but also positively impacted the lives of many.
He also won many awards. In 2017, Wigwe received The Sun Banker of Year Award. In 2021, he was honoured with the prestigious African Banker of the Year award for the second consecutive year by African Banker. The recognition came after Access Bank’s expansion into South Africa through its acquisition of Grobank.
At the time of receiving his second award, Access Bank had experienced significant growth over the past decade, expanding its operations in Kenya, South Africa, and Botswana. With over 40 million customers, Access Bank emerged as one of the continent’s largest retail banks.
In 2020, New African, a sister magazine of African Business, featured Herbert in its annual list of the 100 Most Influential Africans.
Herbert and his parents
Herbert is survived, sadly by his aged parents – Shyngle and Stella Wigwe. His 89-year-old father, who has the habit of speaking with his children on phone every day, served in the Nigerian Army before joining the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as a broadcast engineer. He was a senior lecturer at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Engineering Training School in Lagos.
Shyngle rose to the position of General Manager of NTA Port-Harcourt, and retired as Director-General of the organisation.
Endless tributes
Since the death of the accomplished banker, dignitaries from across the country have been paying condolence visits to his parents’ house.
Heads of nations, captains of industry, top political office holders and eminent personalities from all walks of life have paid glowing tributes to the memory of Wigwe and others.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu expressed shock and sadness over the passing of Wigwe and his family members. His words: “I am shocked and deeply distressed by the news of the passing of Mr Herbert Wigwe, a distinguished banker, humanitarian, and entrepreneur; and Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, along with members of the Wigwe family- Herbert’s wife, Chizoba, and son, Chizi. Their passing is an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension.”
Tributes also came from South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa. He said: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the affected families, including the relatives and friends of the helicopter crew who perished, as well as the Access Bank family around the globe, including South Africa. May all the departed souls rest in peace.
“We value Access Bank South Africa’s support for our investment drive and we share in this terrible loss felt by the management and staff of a flagship African enterprise.”
President, African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, also paid tribute to Wigwe, calling him a visionary and brilliant banker. He commended Ogunbanjo for his leadership in transforming the Nigerian Exchange Group.
“I am saddened by the tragic death of Herbert Wigwe, CEO and co-Founder of Access Bank, his wife and son. He was a visionary and brilliant banker. May God comfort your aged parents, children, the Wigwe family and the staff and management of Access Bank. You will be greatly missed,” Adesina said.
Director-General, World Trade Centre (WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted; “Terribly saddened by the news of the terrible loss of Herbert Wigwe, Group CEO Access Bank, his wife and son as well as Bimbo Ogunbanjo in a helicopter crash.”
“My deepest sympathies and condolences to the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Group employees and Management and my younger brother, Herbert’s partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”
Tributes also came from Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani; Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and Governor Siminalaya Fubara of Rivers State, as well as Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC, and Chairman of Fidelity Bank, Chike Obi, who described Wigwe as tough, smart, hardworking, fair, kind, humble, and focused.
Governor Sani said: “Nigeria has lost one of its most innovative and creative entrepreneurs. He not only led Access Bank to become a global brand, he developed Access Corporation into a veritable vehicle for addressing developmental challenges.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Herbert, the king of visionary and disruptive ideas. I’m deeply saddened by the tragic loss of my dear brother and friend, Dr Herbert Wigwe, his dear wife Doreen, and their beloved son Chizi in a helicopter crash. Herbert was not just a brother and visionary leader but one of the brightest minds in Africa. His impact on our nation and beyond will be remembered forever. My heart mourns.”
Governor Abiodun, who paid a condolence visit to the parents of Herbert, also said: “Recognised as a highly regarded Nigerian banker and visionary entrepreneur, Mr Herbert undoubtedly embodied greatness through his unwavering dedication to the advancement of Nigeria’s economy. His invaluable support for the Building Our Future Together Agenda within our administration in Ogun State stands as an enduring testament to his remarkable character.”
Governor Fubara of Rivers State, the home state of the Wigwes, in a post on his official X handle, urged the people of the state to remain calm “as we continue to pray for him and the entire family.”
Atedo Peterside who is also the Chairman of Anag Foundation, in his tribute, said: “Herbert was more than a banker. I know at least 10 broad activities that Herbert was involved in; banking was one of them. Interestingly, out of the 10, six I also share. We are both bankers. We are both from Rivers State.
We are both involved in Arts. We are both involved in aviation. We are both involved in COVID. We are both involved in Polo; I was playing, he was sponsoring. The remaining were his exclusive, like Access Bank Marathon, film and music, and university. He was a great man. If he made a mistake, he would admit it and make necessary corrections. Herbert was a giver, doer, and he was a mentor. He was reachable unlike some wealthy people that would be unreachable to people.” Chike Obi, Chairman of Fidelity Bank, also consoled the families of Wigwe and Ogunbanjo. “Herbert was very tough, very smart, very hardworking, and extremely fair and kind person. He was such a humble, simple and focused man.”
Chief Executive Officer, Stockwatch Group, Pastor Abayomi Obabolujo, in an interview with Saturday Sun in January, said he would never forget Herbert Wigwe for not forsaking him when he lost about N5billion to the crash of the stock market.
“Till I die, I will always appreciate Herbert Wigwe, the Managing Director of Access Bank. In fact, if you tag this interview, Thank you to Herbert Wigwe, I will always remember him. All through the hard times, Access Bank remains one bank that never forsook me.”
Wigwe University
Herbert Wigwe established a university known as Wigwe University, located in Isiokpo in Rivers State. The citadel of learning, as gathered, is the culmination of Herbert’s lifelong ambition to build an exceptional, world-class, innovative, yet uniquely African institution to grow the next generation of leaders, who will change the face of the Africa.
According to information scooped from the official website of the university, Herbert’s mission, through the Wigwe University, is to change the course of Nigeria’s future through committed and world-class faculty, globally relevant and locally impactful curricula, taught through novel methods to rival the globe’s most respected universities. In January 2024, Wigwe University announced the appointment of its pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof Miles Davis, from Philadelphia, PA, United States ahead of its planned commencement of academic activities in the 2024/2025 session.
His unfulfilled dreams
One of Wigwe’s unmet expectations might have been encapsulated in an interview he granted to commemorate Nigeria’s diamond independence anniversary, some years ago. He said: “Our goal is to establish subsidiaries in 22 countries within the next five years, strategically targeting the major trade corridors of the African continent.
“By 2023, Access Bank intends to solidify its position as Africa’s gateway to the world, serving approximately 100 million customers in Nigeria and an additional 20 million customers across our African subsidiaries.” Another of his dreams was to set a standard for the Wigwe University that would make it compete with the best in the world. In fact, according to many, his plan was to make the university the Harvard of Africa. Sadly, that was not achieved until he breathed his last.
Last line
Reliable sources said the Wigwes had four children – Chizi, Tochi, Hannah, and David. They were survived by the last three, who were not on board the helicopter on the fateful day.
Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC and Chike Obi, Chairman of Fidelity Bank, also revealed that Herbert Wigwe and the co-founder of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede, have emplaced a good succession plan, based on meritocracy, noting that the passing of the deceased would not mark the end of his dreams.