Aliko Dangote to name road after business tycoon Herbert Wigwe
On Friday February 9, 2024, the co-founder and Group CEO of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, died tragically with his wife and one of his four children in a helicopter crash in California, USA.
Related: Access Bank founder Herbert Wigwe dies in chopper crash in California
Wigwe, left behind three children.
A week's farewell ceremony for the Wigwe's was held in Lagos on March 6.
Among some of the speakers was the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
In an emotional speech, Dangote referred to Wigwe as his ‘loyal friend, brother and mentee.’
He said to reconcile the loss was going to be an arduous task.
To immortalise his friend, brother and mentee, Dangote said he will be naming a major refinery and petrochemical road, which covers 120km after Herbert Wigwe, an announcement, which was met with a raging round of applause.
The co-founder of Access Bank and Founder of Coronation Group, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, in his speech focused on Herbert Wigwe’s mindfulness of time.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede said Herbert frequently said "Time waits for no one", yet on the weekend of February 9, time stood still, for the millions of people who were awake and realised that a great man had fallen, with such tragedy.
He said Herbert was worried about the state of Nigeria and Africa and always highlighted that we are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today’. He went on to further assert that Herbert Wigwe was an evidence that Africa is still capable of producing outstanding men who can change the world.
At the wake of his death, the executives at the Ghana Nigeria Business Council, recounted a post reading ‘Nigeria mourns a titan..’, at which the council retorted ‘Africa mourns a titan...’.
Herbert’s impact went beyond Nigeria, he belonged to the continent where his work and values aligned with us all. Herbert was in the process of launching Wigwe University which was a dream institution to ignite Africa’s potential for prosperity and nurture resourceful leaders.
Tribute post by Ghana Nigeria Business Council
Written by Executive Director, Ms Nadia Takyiwaa-Mensah