Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, CFR (August 15, 1966–February 9, 2024), was a Nigerian banker and businessman. Following the retirement of his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, he was appointed group managing director and CEO of Access Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s top five banks.
Wigwe started his career at Coopers & Lybrand and Guaranty Trust Bank before joining Access Bank as deputy managing director in 2002. In January 2014, he took over as CEO. On February 9, 2024, he died in a helicopter crash in the United States while en route to the Super Bowl LVIII championship game in Las Vegas.
Biography of Herbert Wigwe Early Life
On August 15, 1966, Pastor and Mrs. Shyngle Wigwe welcomed their son, Herbert Wigwe, into the world. He was born at a private hospital on Lagos Island, Lagos State. He is, nevertheless, of South-South heritage, having been born in Rivers State.
The Wigwe family can trace their roots back to Isiokpo, Rivers State. Nonetheless, Herbert Wigwe spent his early years in Ibadan, among his parents and siblings. The Wigwe family relocated to Ibadan because of their father’s career. He was blessed with three sisters, Joyce, Peggy, and Stella Wigwe, as well as one brother, Emeka Wigwe.
Herbert Wigwe’s childhood was upper-middle class. His father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, previously worked in the Federal Civil Service as Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), while his mother was a nurse.
During Christmas, the Wigwe family frequently traveled to Rivers State to spend time with their relatives in Isiokpo. Herbert grew up with four siblings and has a close relationship with each.
Herbert Wigwe Education
Herbert Wigwe attended prestigious primary and high schools in Nigeria’s Southwest region. After earning decent scores in his O’Levels, he enrolled in a Nigerian university.
Herbert has had a strong interest in finance since high school. This was the driving force behind his decision to get a university degree in accounting.
In the 1980s, he was admitted to the Southeast’s premier institution, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). In 1987, he completed a four-year academic program and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
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Herbert Wigwe wanted to continue his education beyond his first degree. In 1990, he received the prestigious British Council Scholarship to study at the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University). He earned a Master of Arts in Banking and Finance in 1991.
Later, he pursued another master’s degree, receiving an MSc in financial economics from the University of London in 1996. He graduated from Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Program. Herbert got an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
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Career
Wigwe began his career with Coopers & Lybrand as a management consultant in the late 1980s, later becoming a chartered accountant in 1989. He then joined the Guaranty Trust Bank, where he worked for more than a decade before becoming executive director in 1998.
Access Bank
In 2002, Wigwe and his business partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede acquired Access Bank. Their purchase was delayed due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s concerns that the couple were too young to own a bank. Between 2002 and 2017, the bank developed to become the fourth largest in Nigeria.
From 2002 to 2014, he worked as the company’s deputy managing director. He also served as chairman of Access Bank Ghana Limited, beginning in 2013. From January 2014 until his death, he was Access Bank’s CEO and group managing director.
In 2018, Access Bank combined with competitor Diamond Bank to become Nigeria’s largest bank. He had planned to expand the bank into Asia in early 2024, but he died before the expansion could begin.
The Access Conference
Wigwe helped to create the Access Conference, a leadership development series. Access Bank’s biennial event responds to a global appeal for business involvement in addressing humanity’s major concerns. Since its inception in 2013, the Access Conference has regularly engaged global leaders by stimulating debates about threats and opportunities to the world.
In the 2013 version, titled “Sustainable Leadership,” Wigwe spoke with George W. Bush, Nicolas Sarkozy, and John Kufuor, underlining the value of leadership in national and corporate success. In 2015, Wigwe gathered world leaders like Steve Wozniak, N. R. Narayana Murthy, José María Figueres, and Muhammad Yunus to explore the issue “Leading in a Transformational World – The Imperative of Innovation.”
Wigwe, Access Bank, and UNICEF worked to support vulnerable children, orphans, and internally displaced persons in northern Nigeria. To promote awareness for this cause, the bank hosts the annual high-profile Access Bank/UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament.
In 2016, Wigwe established The HOW Foundation, a non-profit organization. In February 2017, he was chosen co-chair of the Nigerian Business Coalition against AIDS, a private sector initiative aimed at eradicating HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and assisting those living with the condition.
Wigwe University, a private institution founded by Wigwe in his birthplace, Isiokpo, in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, was scheduled to open in September 2024.
Awards
- Wigwe was named 2016 Banker of the Year by The Sun and Vanguard, Nigeria’s two major newspapers.
- In 2016, the Boys’ Brigade appointed Herbert Wigwe as the Lagos State Council’s state patron in appreciation of “his exemplary role in society and contributions to youth development.”
- In October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari awarded him the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, a Nigerian national decoration.
Herbert Wigwe, Wife
Herbert Wigwe married Doreen Chizoba Nwuba in 1994, and she thereafter went by the name Chizoba Wigwe. The couple welcomed their first child, Chizi Wigwe, in January 1995. The couple had three more children: Tochi Wigwe, David Wigwe, and Hannah Wigwe. Herbert was famously known as the “Oracle of Isiokpo.” He was a Pentecostal Christian who attended The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish in Lagos State.
Herbert relocated to Ikoyi, Lagos State, in 2023 to live in an architectural wonder. The luxurious home had cost the successful banker billions of naira. He and his family remained at the residence until his death.
Herbert Wigwe Death
On February 9, 2024, Herbert Wigwe died in a helicopter crash. He was one of six people killed when the Eurocopter EC130 crashed near Nipton, California. The crash also claimed the lives of his wife, Doreen Chizoba Wigwe; his son, Chizi Wigwe; his friend and former Nigerian Exchange Group Plc Chairman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo; and two crew members.
The passengers were on Orbic Air’s charter flight from Palm Springs International Airport to Boulder City, Nevada. They intended to attend Sunday’s National Football League (NFL) championship game, Super Bowl LVIII, in Las Vegas. Herbert Wigwe died at the age of 57. Herbert Wigwe is survived by his three children, four siblings, and his elderly parents.
Net Worth
Herbert Wigwe is one of the wealthiest people in the banking business, having gained his fortune through the expansion of Access Bank. Herbert’s net worth at the time of his death was believed to be between $65 million and $70 million (USD).
