Nigerian billionaire Herbert Wigwe, boss of Access Bank, dies in California crash
The Nigerian economic press announced this Saturday evening, February 10, the death of Herbert Wigwe, the boss of Access Bank, in a helicopter crash in California. The news has not yet been officially confirmed by the financial group.
Nigerian billionaire and chairman of Access Bank Herbert Wigwe, September 19, 2019. © kaizenify/wikimedias
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The helicopter carrying Herbert Wigwe and five of his relatives, including his wife and son, crashed Friday evening on the border between Nevada and California. The Access Bank president and his entourage were on their way to Las Vegas, where they were scheduled to attend the Super Bowl. Local police said no survivors were found at the crash site. The Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, posted a message on the social network X in the evening, to express his emotion at the announcement of the death of his “
friend, brother and neighbor
” Herbert Wigwe.
The reported tragic loss of my friend, brother and not-far-away neighbor in Lagos, Herbert Wigwe, the co-founder of Access Bank, the CEO of Access Holdings and the founder of Wigwe University, is very devastating. He was in my office earlier this week (where we took the pictures… pic.twitter.com/3nlXhEFPfQ
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) February 10, 2024
At the helm of Nigeria's largest bank in terms of assets, the billionaire was also known for his philanthropic activities. Herbert Wigwe notably committed to investing $500 million over five years to set up a university of excellence in Nigeria in order to train young Nigerians in the finance and tech sector.
In May, Herbert Wigwe took the helm of the France-Nigeria investment club, founded by Emmanuel Macron in 2018 to strengthen ties with the captains of industry in Africa's most populous country. Access Bank, which has been established in London for fifteen years, opened a branch in Paris during the same period, a strategic step to extend its influence towards Europe and French-speaking Africa.
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