Remembrance: World Leaders, Business Associates and Political leaders Pay Tribute to Herbert Wigwe

World Leaders, Business Associates and Political leaders Pay Tribute to Herbert Wigwe

Eminent Nigerians and global leaders gathered on Sunday evening to pay tribute to the late banking icon, Herbert Wigwe, in a poignant celebration of his life and legacy. The event marked the first anniversary of his tragic passing in a helicopter accident in Southern California on February 9, 2024, which also claimed the lives of his wife, Doreen, son Chizi, and friend, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

The four-hour memorial service, held at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, was a fitting tribute to Wigwe’s enduring impact. The evening featured prayers, musical performances, and a heartfelt ministration by Pastor Itua. The ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including President Bola Tinubu, represented by Finance Minister Olawale Edun, Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, who delivered a keynote lecture.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo honored the memory of Herbert Wigwe, praising him as a pioneering banker and business leader who brought groundbreaking changes to Nigeria’s banking sector. Obasanjo highlighted Wigwe’s impressive achievement in transforming Access Bank from a modest lender in 2002 into a global business powerhouse, demonstrating his exceptional leadership vision.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by Finance Minister Olawale Edun, hailed Herbert Wigwe’s groundbreaking achievements in business and finance, noting that his legacy serves as a beacon of hope for Nigerians, demonstrating their capacity to overcome challenges and excel in their chosen pursuits.Minister Edun also praised Wigwe for establishing a university that’s poised to revolutionize higher education in Africa. This testament to Wigwe’s commitment to education and social responsibility underscores his lasting impact on Nigeria’s banking industry and beyond.

President Emmanuel Macron of France paid tribute to the late Herbert Wigwe, hailing him as a pioneer in the field of business diplomacy. This relatively new field combines the skills and mindset of government diplomats with the needs of private firms. Macron noted that Wigwe, as President of the French-Nigeria Business Council (FNBC), played a crucial role in fostering bilateral relations between France and Nigeria. A senior diplomat from the French Embassy in Abuja read Macron’s statement, highlighting Wigwe’s enduring impact on international business relations.

In a keynote lecture delivered extempore, Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados regretted the loss of important correspondent banking relationships (CBRs) during the 2009 financial crisis by banks across the Caribbean and noted that her country has risen to the challenge. A correspondent banking relationship (CBR) is a bilateral arrangement between banks, often involving a reciprocal cross-border relationship in multiple countries.

The arrangement involves one bank (the correspondent – for example a major international bank) providing a deposit account or other liability accounts, and related services, to another bank (the respondent – for example a bank located and doing business in the Caribbean, or Nigeria or any other country).The Prime Minister announced that Access Bank would soon commence banking business in Barbados once the necessary regulatory approvals have been concluded.

World Leaders, Business Associates and Political leaders Pay Tribute to Herbert Wigwe

The Prime Minister recalled her fond memories of Herbert Wigwe as a consummate international business icon and recollected that King Jaja of Opobo was exiled to her country by the British colonialists in the 17th century for refusing to implement a nefarious British tax policy and obstructing the colonialists’ commercial and political expansion. Ms Mottley was particularly excited that Opobo is a community in the present day Rivers State, Wigwe’s home state; and she tagged on that to create a pun. ‘’Tochi’’, she called out to Wige’s daughter, now the eldest child, who was also seated in the front row with the rest of the family, ‘’you will soon come to Barbados; but not as an exile’’.

The audience laughed. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwon-Olu gave an impassioned and heartfelt tribute, describing Wigwe as ‘’larger than life person, who was a builder of people; ideas and fortune’’. Sanwon-Olu described Wigwe as brave and courageous. His words: ‘’Where others hesitated, Herbert moved. Lagos has felt his absence.

Across the state, his legacies abound’’. He mentioned a few of such legacies as the renovated National Arts Theatre; Access Bank Lagos Marathon and the triumph over Covid-19.One of the high points of the evening was Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede’s emotional tributes in which he said that his partnership and friendship with Wigwe endured for so long due to the trust they had in each other. ‘’I was never, for once, afraid that Herbert was in the room, closing deals, when I was not there; and vice versa’’, he said, eliciting a prolonged applause.

He announced that despite malicious publications in the social media, he would never abandon Herbert Wigwe’s children. ‘’Tochi; Hannah; David; Okachi, you are mine; just as my children were your dad’s children when he was here with us’’, Aig-Imoukhuede said, to the applause of the audience, some of whom were already tearing up.

‘’They’re irreplaceable’’, he said, referring to the departed. ‘’Herbert is irreplaceable as a friend; he is irreplaceable as a partner’’. Two of Chizi’s friends, Rasheed Sarumi and Tunde Ogundare, also gave emotional tributes to him; while Linda Petinrin and Queenette Allagoa remembered the late Chizoba Wigwe in emotional tributes. Ambassador Idaere Gogo-Ogan (Herbert’s longstanding friend); Roosevelt Ogbonna (CEO of Access bank Plc); Uche Wigwe (Herbert’s cousin and trustee of Wigwe University) and David Wigwe (Herbert’s son) also gave stirring homage in what was clearly an evening of mixed emotions and celebrations of beautiful lives lost.

Distinguished guests at the memorial service included Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of THISDAY Arise Media Group; Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, Chairman of Access Bank Plc; Emir Kano, Mohammed Sanusi II; Prof Benedict Oramah, President of Afrexim Bank; Fola Adeola, Former CEO of GTBank; and Ben Akabueze, former DG of Budget Office of the Federation. Executives and staff of Access Bank Group were also in attendance.

The evening took a special turn with a dinner, where Prince Ogbaigbena presented the THISDAY Lifetime Achievement Award to Tochi Wigwe in honor of her late father, Herbert Wigwe. This heartfelt tribute celebrated Wigwe’s remarkable contributions and enduring legacy.