Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, business partner of the late Herbert Wigwe, said on Monday that “time stood still” when the news of Wigwe’s death went viral.
Mr Wigwe died in a helicopter crash on February 9 in the United States alongside his wife and son, businessman Abimbola Ogunbanjo, and two crew members.
At an event held at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos to celebrate Wigwe’s professional legacy, Aig-Imoukhuede began by praising Wigwe’s remaining children — Tochi, David, Hannah and Okachi — for mourning with “dignity and strength.”
The former CEO of Access Bank said despite the heights attained, Wigwe worried about whether he would have sufficient time to realise his dream for a transformed Africa.
“February 9, 2024, the day Herbert, Chizoba, Chizi and Bimbo died along with two pilots was a terrible and tragic day for us all,” he said.
“But believe you me, ladies and gentlemen, on that day, Herbert was honoured in a way that happens to very few human beings in history. As the breaking news of this tragic accident reverberated across the world, time stood still in honour of Herbert Wigwe.
“When Herbert Wigwe died, time stood still enabling millions who already knew him, but hundreds of millions more who had never heard of him to pause in unison, to learn and reflect about this iconic African leader and to understand the full potential of what he was about to do for humanity.”
With a teary voice, he added, “The breaking story was a wave felt around the world. As the news hit mobile phones, TV screens, computers from north to south and east to west, millions of people went to the Internet searching and examining, reading and watching to find out just who this man Herbert Wigwe was. And time stood still because God wanted the world to know about who his son Herbert Wigwe was and is and what he truly represents.”
Aig-Imoukhuede concluded that in memory of Wigwe, the work of transforming Africa for the better should begin now.