Immediate past governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has condoled with the Wigwe family and the banking industry over the tragic passing of the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe.

The consummate banker, his wife, Doreen; son Chizi; and former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, lost their lives in a helicopter crash near Nevada on Friday, February 8, 2024.

Obiano described Wigwe as an intelligent banker, under whom Access Bank was ranked among the top four in the country by the time he died.

He noted that the deceased was about 36 years old when he co-founded Access Bank, a time he was also in the banking industry.

The former governor said: “With a heart filled with deep sorrow, I condole with the Wigwe family and the banking industry as a whole. I pray God to grant the souls of all the victims of the chopper crash eternal rest and give their families fortitude to bear the loss.

“The vacuum Wigwe left in the banking industry will be difficult to fill, if at all it can be filled. Therefore, I urge our colleagues in the industry to take heart and uphold the virtues of integrity that Wigwe left behind. “

Under Wigwe, Access Bank, which had years earlier acquired Intercontinental Bank, also bought Diamond Bank.