Following the tragic death of Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, a mysterious message he had shared via social media prior, came to limelight.
At around 7 a.m. Nigerian time on Saturday, it was confirmed Wigwe was aboard the Eurocopter EC130 helicopter that crashed in California near the Nevada border, in the United States.
The GCEO of Access Holdings was in the chopper alongside his wife, son and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
Six passengers were reported to be onboard, with no survivors found so far.
Wigwe, on January 19 took to his social media pages and shared a message urging his thousands of followers to “remember that life is a precious gift.”
He advised them to “honour this gift by living with purpose”, adding that “let us number our days.”
“Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift – a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience and connect.
“Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, kindness, and gratitude, making every moment count. Let us number our days,” the post read.
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The GCEO kickstarted professional career with Coopers & Lybrand Associates, an international firm of Chartered Accountants. He spent over 10 years at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc where he managed several portfolios, including financial institutions, large corporates, and multinationals.
Having left Guaranty Trust Bank as an Executive Director, he co-led the transformation of Access Bank Plc in March 2002 as Deputy Managing Director and was appointed Group Managing Director/CEO effective January 1, 2014.
The alumnus of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme served in that capacity till May 2022. He was subsequently appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Bank effective May 2022.
He is also the founder of Wigwe University, and was the Chairman of Access Bank (Ghana), Access Investment & Securities Limited, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) and presently as Chairman of Access Bank (UK) Limited and Unified Payments Services Limited.
He holds a master’s degree in Banking and International Finance from the University College of North Wales, a master’s degree in Financial Economics from the University of London, and a B.Sc. degree in Accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Wigwe, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), was also a member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
