The Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, his son, and former President of Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, are feared dead following a helicopter crash in California, United States.
News About Nigeria gathered that the tragic event occurred on Friday, prompting a search and recovery operation.
Earlier reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that a Eurocopter EC 130 helicopter, with six people on board, crashed near Nipton, California.
As of Saturday morning, no survivors had been found, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The helicopter, reportedly conveying Herbert Wigwe, had initially landed at Palm Springs, California, airport due to adverse weather conditions.
Subsequently, Wigwe and five others boarded a helicopter bound for Las Vegas at 10 p.m. local time (7 a.m. Nigerian time).
The crash took place near the border between Nevada and California.
Authorities, including National Safety Transportation officials, are expected at the crash site to provide official confirmation.
Access Holdings has not issued an official statement regarding the incident at the time of reporting.
Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, born on August 15, 1966, is a renowned Nigerian banker and entrepreneur.
As the CEO of Access Holdings, Wigwe played an important role in transforming Access Bank into one of Nigeria’s top financial institutions.
His career began at Coopers & Lybrand, Lagos, and he later held key positions at Capital Bank and GTBank.
Wigwe, alongside his business partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, acquired shares in Access Bank in 2002, elevating the bank’s status to one of Nigeria’s top five.
Throughout his career, he held leadership roles in various organizations, contributing significantly to the finance and banking sectors.
The academic journey of Herbert Wigwe includes a degree in accountancy from the University of Nigeria, an MA in Banking and Finance from the University College of North Wales (now Bangor), and an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London.
He also completed the Harvard Business School Executive Management Program, further enhancing his strategic acumen and leadership capabilities.
