A fatal helicopter accident in California on Friday night claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three other people. Wigwe was the co-founder and CEO of Access Holdings, which owns Access Bank, a leading African and Nigerian bank. He was 57 years old.
Access Bank’s official X account shared a tweet on Sunday confirming the news:
“Today, we bid farewell to a visionary leader, @HerbertOWigwe, whose passion and unwavering commitment to excellence transformed Access into a global powerhouse. His legacy of excellence and compassion will continue to inspire us all. Rest in peace, Herbert Wigwe. Your impact will forever be felt.“
The helicopter, carrying six people, went down near Nipton, California, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, while en route to Las Vegas, where Wigwe and his family were reportedly planning to attend the Super Bowl.
One of the victims who were aboard the Eurocopter EC 130 with the family was the former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Abimola Ogunbanjo.
A statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that there were no survivors. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Together with his friend and partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Herbert Wigwe bought Access Bank in 2002 and transformed it from a minor commercial bank to a major financial institution with operations in 12 countries and over 40 million customers.
His company merged with Diamond Bank in 2018 to become the biggest in Nigeria by assets and customers. He also established Wigwe University, a private institution in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, which was scheduled to launch in September 2024.
