Herbert Wigwe: 12 things to know about the late Access Bank boss

The death of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, has been announced.

Wigwe was reported to be aboard a helicopter that crashed in California, United States, on Friday night.

The chopper was headed to Las Vegas when it crashed near a border city between Nevada and California on Friday night, killing five other passengers on board.

Here are 12 things to know about the late Access Bank boss.

1. Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, on August 15, 1966, Herbert Wigwe was an astute banker and top-notch entrepreneur.

2. He hailed from Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, but lived and worked in Lagos.

3. He holds a degree in accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State. He also holds 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.

4. He was the CEO of Access Holdings Plc, also known as Access Corporation, until his death. Herbert succeeded his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, as Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank plc, one of Nigeria’s top five banking institutions, in January 2014 and served until April 2022.

5. Wigwe served as Chairman of Access Bank Ghana Limited, Access Investment & Securities Limited, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS), and Access Bank (UK) Limited.

6. He is on the board of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company as well as the Friends Africa Advisory Board.

7. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN-FCA), a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration, and an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

8. Recognised as the “CEO of the Year,” in appreciation of “his exemplary role in society and contributions to youth development,” the Boys’ Brigade (BB) appointed Wigwe as State Patron for the Lagos State Council in 2016.

9. In 2016, Wigwe was named Banker of the Year by Vanguard and The Sun, two of Nigeria’s prominent newspapers.

10. In 2021, he was also named African Banker of the Year at the African Banker Awards.

11. In October 2022, he was conferred with the Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

12. Wigwe was married to Chizoba Wigwe (née Nwuba) and had four children: Chizi, Tochi, Hannah, and David.