Herbert Wigwe, co-founder of Nigeria’s prominent Access Bank, lost his life in a helicopter crash in California on Friday.
The crash claimed the lives of six individuals, including Wigwe’s wife, son, and a former president of the Nigerian stock exchange.
Expressing grief over the loss, President Bola Tinubu described the death of Mr. Wigwe as an “overwhelming tragedy.” Investigative efforts are underway at the crash site in the southern Californian desert to ascertain the cause of the tragic incident.
The chartered helicopter, en route from Palm Springs to Boulder City in Nevada, crashed approximately 96km (60 miles) from Las Vegas. Reports from Nigerian media indicated that the 57-year-old banker was on his way to Las Vegas to attend the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The crash occurred near Nipton, on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert Preserve, amidst poor weather conditions with rain and snow showers reported in the area.
Mr. Wigwe, who founded Access Bank in 1989, led the institution to become Nigeria’s largest bank in 2018 after acquiring its primary competitor, Diamond Bank.
In recent years, he spearheaded expansion efforts across the continent, acquiring banks in Kenya, South Africa, and Botswana. Plans were underway to launch a new banking service in Asia in the first quarter of 2024.
Tributes have poured in following the news of Wigwe’s death, with President Tinubu expressing shock beyond comprehension. The president’s office described the incident as “a terrible blow” for Nigeria and the African banking industry.
In a newspaper article published in January, Mr. Wigwe emphasized the importance of investing in higher education to address mass migration, which he believed was destabilizing countries worldwide.
Reflecting this commitment, he was in the process of establishing Wigwe University, set to launch in September in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, his hometown.
In his own words, the university represented an opportunity for him “to give back to society” and address global migration challenges at their roots.
