Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, said Wigwe was a “pan-Africanist, who took Access Bank beyond the shores of Nigeria.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily– The Senate has called for a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash that killed the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings, Dr. Herbert Wigwe.
In its plenary on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the senators urged the federal government to collaborate with the US authorities to ensure that they ascertain the exact reasons why the accident which also claimed the lives of Wigwe’s wife, his son and a former Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
The lawmakers also esolved to send a high-powered delegation to the burial of Wigwe when announced, and observed a minute’s silence in their honour.
This was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers State), who urged his colleagues to extol the virtues of Wigwe.
Speaking on the late Wigwe, Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP – Sokoto South) described Wigwe as a “pan-Nigerian, and one of our best hands in the financial system of our dear country.”
Tambuwal said: “While I was the governor of my state, he visited me. He asked my uncles what he would do for them. They appealed to him to sponsor them to Hajj. He gave them 10 seats as a Christian, for them to go on Hajj. That was Herbert Wigwe for you.
“We spoke last on the 1st of February. He said he called to say hello to me because we had not seen each other for a while. He wanted me to visit him and inspect the Wigwe University project. Well, that day will never come again.”
On his part, former Ogun State Governor, Sen. Gbenga Daniel, lamented that Nigeria has lost a personality that would be long to replace.
“We also lost in that accident, a very distinguished Nigerian, Abimbola Ogunbanjo Bimbola. We mourn the Wigwes and Ogunbanjo, and we pray to God to grant their souls eternal rest,” he said.
Also paying his respects, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, described Wigwe and Ogunbanjo as “brilliant professionals.”
Similarly, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Wadada, noted that Wigwe’s impact was felt beyond banking.
“He was everywhere doing anything that could add value to humanity. He ventured into areas other people were afraid of.
“At one point, he wanted to acquire Afribank, which never worked. He later went on to acquire Intercontinental Bank at a time when nobody wanted to go close to that bank.
“He took Access Bank beyond Nigeria and wanted to acquire 65% of Standard Chartered Bank in Africa,” he recalled.
In his remarks, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, described Wigwe as a “pan-Africanist, who took Access Bank beyond the shores of Nigeria.”
He added, “We can’t question God for all that happened. He paid school fees for indigent students and Hajj fares for people. His legacies will never be forgotten. May their souls rest in peace.”