How I would like to be remembered
By Prisca Sam-Duru
Friday, February 9, 2024 passed down in history as a very dark day for Nigeria.
It was the kind of day one wishes never repeats itself in life. The country lost a gentleman, loving father, a dogged and dedicated businessman, banker and philanthropist alongside three of his loved ones.
Dr Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe was until his untimely passing at 57, the Group CEO of Access bank. And he died in a helicopter crash in the United States, with his wife, son and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc. They were on their way to watch the Super Bowl when the sad incident occurred near a border city between Nevada and California.
Nigerians have continued to pour tributes to the late Wigwe whose organisation described as a “key driving force and larger-than-life personality, who brought his remarkable passion, energy, and experience to the transformation of the Access franchise since joining the Bank in 2002.”
During the ‘What’s Trending with Ojy Okpe on Monday which was dedicated to him, Ojy dug out a very interesting interview she had with Herbert Wigwe in 2019.
During that encounter, Wigwe gave an insight into his values, personal style and his most treasured possessions. The interview showcased a well-rounded perfect gentleman; a great father, CEO and philanthropist. Most especially, a great lover and private collector of artworks.
Wowed by the number of stunning artworks in his office, Okpe exclaimed, ‘God! I could be fooled that we are in a gallery’ and Wigwe simply responded “Well, we enjoy collecting and these represent some of the pieces that we have.
“Each piece means something to me. I kind of like all of them for different reasons. There are several that inspire me. I like each and every one of them for a different reason.”
On his must have artwork he said “ I think I have a lot of Ben Enwonwu because he did great pieces.” And if he were to choose between Mona Lisa or Ben Enwonwu’s ‘Tutu’ he responded, “..its Tutu. Tutu is truly beautiful. It’s a beautiful piece and has a lot of history behind it.” He was right. ‘Tutu’ was created in 1973 by Ben Enwonwu and in 2018, it became a record breaker; it was sold at £1, 205,000.
“Watching my people be the best that they can be” was what gave him joy. He also hinted that the last country he visited before that interview was Ghana because, “We do have a business there so I go quite often. We had meetings out there.”
On how much time he spent on social media he said, “It depends on what you mean. If it’s WhatsApp messages, I’ll say cumulatively in a day, maybe 3 to 4 hours.” He also did more of twitter than Instagram.
Wigwe was asked to tell his followers in a tweet something they didn’t know about him. Guess his response. “It’s difficult. I think I’m a transparent person. Most people know a lot about me.” When pressured to give an answer, he said, “Very emotional.” That obviously informed his calm mien and simplicity.
Want to know how he dealt with the press? “I have my own defence mechanisms. It depends on what the negative press is about. If it has to do with business, we would basically set up as a team and see what the implications on our business are and then respond.”
