Such has been the magnitude of having lost the late Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe prematurely to a helicopter crash in the United States in early February. This remarkably tragic loss has led Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote on a journey back in time but he is doing this with tears rolling out of his eyes.

With a heavy load of grief resting on his shoulders, the chairman of the Dangote Group on Monday, 4 March walked up to a stage at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos to give a speech at a special evening ceremony tagged Celebrating Professional Excellence.

This was at an event to remember the indelible mark the late Wigwe made throughout his existence.

ALSO READ: Policy making-world mourn the sad passing of Herbert Wigwe

At first, it looked like Alhaji Dangote would pull through unscathed getting up to the podium. He was already doing well keeping his emotions clipped, but one vulnerable moment early on in his speech opened the room for tears.

I stand here today with a sense of profound loss and a feeling of utter helplessness. I feel very helpless because I could not prevent the tragedy that befell my friend, my brother, my mentee and a very loyal friend for that matter, Herbert Wigwe CFR, his beloved wife Chizoba and his son Chizzy.

Over eight minutes speaking to the gathering of family, state governors and business partners of the deceased Herbert Wigwe, the global businessman telling stories about the former Access Bank executive and his role in positioning Dangote Group for the greatness that the world now sees.

In his speech, Alhaji Aliko Dangote remembered Mr Wigwe’s exceptional loyalty, which made him think and say that it is really difficult to find another Herbert, and this is because he depended on the deceased to get out of sticky situations.

I choose to remember his long friendship, undivided loyalty, and his zest for life among various other attributes. He was a pillar of strength and support for me, my family and our businesses.

He was not afraid to go out on a limb to help me untie the several noose that actually came up as our organisation grew and flourished. He was proud to be part of my success story and I am proud to name him my devoted friend, mentee and brother.

Herbert’s wise counsel and relentless support [were] central to the growth and expansion of our organisation, the Dangote Group. My family and I will forever cherish his warm friendship and heart of care. It is really difficult to find another Herbert. I owe him an eternal debt of gratitude.

All the legacies the late Herbert Wigwe left behind through his 57 years on earth are no doubt multifaceted. Bits of him are spread around finance, youth mentorship, philanthropy and education.

But the world he left will continue to eternise him both in their deeds and city architecture. Rounding off his speech, Alhaji Dangote said: To immoratalise my beloved friend, my brother and mentee, I’ve actually decided to name our major refinery and petrochemical road out of the 120km road, the biggest road will now be named Herbert Wigwe.

ALSO READ: Painful passing and talk-of-the-town birthday shindig: It’s the optics, stupid!

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.