A long week of mourning but while also doing that, a celebration of the professional excellence of the late Access Bank Group CEO Dr. Herbert Wigwe had its destination. They were the build-up that have now led to the banker’s burial in his Rivers State hometown, Isiokpo.

On Saturday, 10 March, the late Wigwe’s associates which prominently featured the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio representing the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well state governors both present and past, all gathered at Wigwe University where the deceased had already constructed the private cemetery where he was to be buried.

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In his eulogy to the dead, the Senate President described the burial as abnormal owing to the fact that three members of the same family had died and they were all being committed to the earth on the same day and time. That included the late banker’s wife and his eldest son. The trio, on Thursday, 9 February, were traveling on a chartered helicopter heading from Palm Springs to Boulder City in Nevada, the United States when it went down about 96km (60 miles) from Las Vegas. Since then, the banking world has been thrown into a feeling of irreparable loss.

Let me thank you for the opportunity to lend the voice of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the bereaved family, to Rivers State, to the business community, the global community and to all Nigerians, says the Senate President at the Redeemed Christian Church of God hosting the service.

It is not a normal occasion, he adds. This is a very abnormal occasion. Confirming the event as a national mourning, Mr Akpabio wanted to extend the condolences of Mr President, Bola Tinubu, his governor, the National Assembly I’m privileged to be the chairman and all members of the legislature in Nigeria to the bereaved family, to Access Bank, particularly my brother, Iyke Imokhede, the co-founder, the remaining members of the family.

That is why it is not a normal occasion. Normally the wife would have been here. If the wife was not here, the first son would have been here. But as God pleases none of them is here. They are all here in front of us. May their souls rest in Perfect Peace.

In the past week leading to the burial witnessed extraordinarily gifted Nigerians like Herbert Wigwe sharing points at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos concerning the meaningful life he had lived. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote was one of them. While struggling to hold back tears during a tribute, he felt certain that he would never find anyone like the deceased Access Bank chief.

Just like Dangote, every other person that stepped foot on the podium to give a speech, such as the Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, thought the life of the late Dr Wigwe was one that was well lived.

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To some politicians, mourning Wigwe brought them closer to what truly matters on their earth journey. That’s to serve people and be able to leave a lasting impact. The Governor of Rivers State, the deceased home state was one of those entering such a deep moment of reflection surrounding sincere service to humanity.

I have this question always in my mind. What is life all about?, asks Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Yesterday [9 Friday, 2024] we sang a hymn that said, ‘Fading away from the sun in the morning’, and I concluded that life is not the one million years that we lived, but even if we spend an hour, let the hour be impactful. He has made a great contribution to humanity.

Here lies our brother, his wife and his son. Everyone has come to celebrate them, it means even in the short period that he lived, he lived an impactful life.

After successfully building Access Bank to become one of the foremost Nigerian financial institutions and allowing its influence to penetrate nearby West African countries, Dr Herbert Wigwe went on to start Wigwe University. The way the deceased pictured it, that is an enterprise that can help stem the migrant crisis in Europe fueled partly by young people in sub-Saharan West Africa leaving their base for education and work.

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.