Okonjo-Iweala also extended her condolences to the staff and management of Access Bank Group
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said she is “terribly saddened” by the news of the death of Access Holdings CEO, Herbert Wigwe.
She made this known in a post on her official X handle, formerly Twitter, following the demise of the business mogul.
TheNiche had earlier reported that a chopper transporting Wigwe crashed, killing him as well as five other occupants in California, United States on Friday night.
Okonjo-Iweala while speaking on the crash, described Wigwe’s death as a terribly sad occurrence and went on to express her condolences to his family and management of Access Bank Group.
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Taking to her social media page, she tweeted: “Terribly saddened by the news of the terrible loss of Herbert Wigwe , Group CEO Access Bank @HerbertOWigwe, his wife and son as well as Bimbo Ogunbanjo in a helicopter crash. My deepest sympathies and condolences to the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Group employees and Management @myaccessbank and my younger Brother Herbert’s partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”
Similarly, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said he was “deeply shaken” by Wigwe’s death, describing byhis demise as a loss to the business community in Nigeria.
Posting his condolence message on his X page, Saraki wrote: “I’m deeply shaken by the news of the helicopter crash in California that claimed the lives of my friend and brother, Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, his dear wife, son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, alongside two others.
“As we mourn his loss, we must view the passing of Herbert and these prominent individuals not just as a personal tragedy for their families but also as a significant loss for the business community and the nation at large.”
Saraki further hailed the deceased, saying he was instrumental in transforming what was once a small commercial bank into one of the top five banks in the nation.