Victor EzejaFormer governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has expressed his condolences to the Wigwe family and the banking sector following the untimely death of Herbert Wigwe, the group chief executive officer of Access Holdings Plc.
On Friday, February 8, 2024, the top banker, his wife Doreen, son Chizi, and former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, perished in a helicopter crash near Nevada.
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In his condolence message, Obiano described Wigwe as an intelligent banker, under whom Access Bank was ranked among the top four in the country by the time he died.
The former governor noted that Wigwe was about 36 years old when he co-founded Access Bank, a time he (Obiano) was also in the banking industry.
“With a heart filled with deep sorrow, I condole with the Wigwe family and the banking industry as a whole. I pray God to grant the souls of all the victims of the chopper crash eternal rest and give their families fortitude to bear the loss,” the former governor said.
“The vacuum Wigwe left in the banking industry will be difficult to fill, if at all it can be filled. Therefore, I urge our colleagues in the industry to take heart and uphold the virtues of integrity that Wigwe left behind.”
Under Wigwe, Access Bank, which had years earlier acquired Intercontinental Bank, also bought Diamond Bank. It subsequently transformed into a holding company in 2022 with Wigwe becoming the group CEO.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
