My Warning And Last Word To Wigwe
OpenLife Nigeria reports that for the first time, a vivid and accurate account of what transpired hours before Herbert Wigwe died emerged yesterday at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Herbert Wigwe died in a helicopter crash, along with his wife, Doreen, son, Chizzy and former Managing Director of Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, in the US.
It was a night of tributes for the late Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc.
It was also the biggest statement that Nigeria, as a country, is not poor after all in view of the display of Sport Utility Vehicles, SUVs, popularly called ‘jeep’ which outnumbered the available parking space of the hotel and stretched across the length and width of Adetokunbo Ademola Street, including other connecting streets on Victoria Island.
Aside Emir Mohammed Sanusi, the leader of the Tijjaniyya movement and 14th Emir of Kano, other personalities, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, also paid tributes to the deceased.
The attendance list had big wigs like Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President Dangote Group, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede, Chairman Coronation Group, Henry Imasekha, Chairman/CEO – Berkeley Group Plc, among other dignitaries.
Olaleye, said in his tribute :
‘’Five of us embarked on that journey, I remember Mr. Bimbo chatted me and said he wants to come with us, it was a Tuesday and I told him, my boss’ journey is not always straightforward.
Sometimes you can get in the air and divert to somewhere else and he said he was going to wait. ‘’I still tried to let him understand that we would be in London Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
He said he will stay in his house and wait.
I really don’t know why I was trying to convince him, I don’t know.
‘’It was a sweet journey, eleven hours. We flew from London to Palm Springs.
I remember in the middle of the air. I walked up to him and said sir, how comfortable are you flying chopper at night? ‘’I’ve never done it before. And he said a word. He said this is America. They have navigation system for flying chopper at night.
And I went back to my seat. ‘’We landed; everybody was filled with joy, they were finally almost there. We waited to be cleared by immigration and we came out, so coming out, we had two vans waiting. ‘’One was to take us to board the chopper, the other was to take our luggage because they cannot go on the chopper.
Like I said, I always reason in the line of duty, so I walked up to him and said I think it’s safer and more secured to ride and bring the luggage to you. He said brilliant idea and I said safe flight.’’
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