There are reports that a helicopter carrying Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Holding, along with five other individuals, has crashed near the California-Nevada Border.
For some hours, there was speculation about the fate of the people onboard the helicopter, there is now official confirmation that Mr Wigwe did not survive the crash. The organisation put out a post on “X” confirming his death.
There is also a statement from the United States National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) confirming the death of the six passengers on board the Airbus EC130 helicopter. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency charged by Congress to investigate every civil aviation and significant accidents in the other transportation modes.
The passengers included two crew members, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba and son, as well as Abimbola Ogunbajo, the group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group).
Prior to the briefing by the NTSB, a local station KTLA 5 had reported that,“the FAA confirmed that a Eurocopter EC130 went down around 10 p.m. east of the 15 Freeway and Halloran Springs Road near the community of Nipton, not far from the California-Nevada border. Preliminary information indicates that the helicopter may have taken off from Palm Springs and was last seen near Barstow. Its intended destination was not immediately known.”
The press briefing presided by NTSB board member Michael Graham gave the following updates:
- “The NTSB just recently within about an hour ago arrived on scene for this accident investigation. Last night at 8:45 pm Pacific Standard Time, an Airbus DC 130 helicopter departed Palm Springs, California en route to Boulder City, Nevada.”
- “At about 10:08 pm, The helicopter impacted the train south of I-15 near Halloran Springs, California. Halloran Springs is about 75 miles northeast of Barstow.“
- “Two crew members and four passengers were on board and were fatally injured. ”
- “Before I go any further on behalf of the NTSB, I’d like to express our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.
- We have a representative from the NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance division on the scene with us. She is currently working with family members of those who lost their lives and will provide support as well on investigative updates as they become available. ”
- “We are on scene now to gather perishable evidence. Our team methodically and systematically reviews all evidence and considers all potential factors to determine the probable cause. This is the beginning of a long process. We will not jump into any conclusions and the information I provide to you tonight is preliminary.
The agency intends to issue an initial report within the next few weeks, offering an early overview of the occurrence. However, a thorough investigative report is anticipated to be finalized and published within a timeframe of 12 to 24 months.
Insiders suggest that the Access GCEO might have been en route with his family to participate in the Super Bowl scheduled for Sunday in Las Vegas.
About Dr. Herbert O. Wigwe
Born on 15 August 1966, Herbert .O. Wigwe was the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings, a leading multinational financial services group that offers commercial banking, lending, payment, insurance, and asset management services.
Dr. Wigwe was Deputy Managing Director at Access Bank from 2002 and became its Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer in 2014. Previously, he was an Executive Director in charge of Institutional Banking at Guaranty Trust Bank and before then, a Management Consultant for Coopers & Lybrand before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.
Dr. Wigwe also served as the Chairman of Access Bank (Ghana), Access Investment & Securities Limited, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) and is the current Chairman of Access Bank (UK) Limited and Unified Payments Services Limited. He is a Board Member of Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company and a member of the advisory Board for Friends Africa.
Dr. Wigwe graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka and received a B SC. Degree in Accountancy; a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University College of North Wales (now Bangor); a Master of Science degree in Financial Economics from the University of London and is an Alumnus of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration, and an Honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Dr Wigwe, among other ventures, founded Wigwe University, the culmination of his lifelong ambition to build an exceptional, world-class, innovative, yet uniquely African institution to grow the next generation of leaders who will change the face of the African continent.
Wigwe was married to Chizoba Wigwe (née Nwuba) and had four children.
The story has been updated to reflect new information
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