Helicopter Crash Claims Lives of Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe and Others
Herbert Wigwe, the chief executive of Nigeria’s Access Holdings, parent company of Access Bank, tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash in California.
The crash, which occurred near the border between California and Nevada, claimed the lives of Wigwe’s wife, child, and a former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange, alongside two others. There were no survivors.
The helicopter involved in the crash was identified as a Eurocopter EC130 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, with both the FAA and the U.S. transportation safety agency conducting inquiries into the incident.
Wigwe, aged 57, had been at the helm of Access Bank since 2014, spearheading an ambitious expansion drive across Africa.
Under his leadership, Access Bank had made significant strides, including acquisitions and majority stakes in banks across Kenya, South Africa, Angola, Botswana, and Mozambique.
The bank’s acquisition of a competitor in 2019 propelled it to become Nigeria’s largest bank by total assets.
Beyond his achievements in banking, Wigwe was also deeply committed to higher education.
He had been actively involved in the establishment of Wigwe University in Nigeria’s oil-producing Rivers state, with plans to launch its inaugural academic session later this year.
The university project, estimated to cost $500 million, aimed to enroll 10,000 students over the next five years.
Wigwe’s untimely demise is not only a loss to the banking industry but also to the realm of higher education and broader economic development initiatives across Africa.
In a recent piece from Semafor Africa, Wigwe emphasized the importance of investing in higher education as a means to broaden economic opportunities and stem migration trends that contribute to destabilization fears in Europe and America.
Access Holdings is yet to issue an official statement regarding Wigwe’s passing. Details surrounding funeral arrangements and further updates on the situation are awaited as the investigation progresses.
Source: Semafor
