HERBERT WIGWE – GONE TOO SOON
By Nasir El-Rufai
I was devastated to learn early on Saturday, February 10th of the tragic death of Herbert Wigwe along with this wife, son and friends in a helicopter crash in the USA. I was sad, very sad and had to sedate to sleep yesternight.
Herbert’s untimely death is a loss not only to his family and friends like us, but to Access Holdings, the financial services sector, the Nigerian economy, our nation and the Black Race at large.
Brilliant, visionary in thinking and focused at execution, of his strategies as CEO of Access, yet Herbert was humble, responsive, respectful and imbued with limitless generosity of spirit that one can easily mistake him as an officer in his management team.
My particular condolences to his brothers and mine from different mothers – Aig Imuokhede, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Aliko Dangote, Kashim Ibrahim Imam, and Abubakar Suleiman, plus countless others like Hadiza Ambursa of Access, and Khalifa Naziru Abdullahi of KK Kingdom – whose lives were touched positively by Herbert’s life, affection, decisions and actions. Please take heart.
On behalf of the Kaduna State State Government which I had the privilege to lead between 2015 and 2023, I thank Herbert for spearheading and financing the design, construction, furnishing and equipping of a mega-basic education school at Fifth Chukker, Mararraban Jos for thousands of out-of-school children in Igabi Local Government to support the human capital development policies of our administration. May God reward him immensely for this and his many other acts of altruistic and philanthropic goodness all over the world.
May the gentle souls of Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba, son and others that died with him rest in perfect peace. Herbert is gone too son, but Access Holdings, Wigwe University and his many known and unknown endeavors including being the main enabler for the financing of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex remain indelible in our nation’s history.
Rest in Peace, Herbert, till we all join you. From God we all came and to Him we shall all return. Every one of us has his time. Yours came too soon, but Almighty Allah Knows best. Adieu.