UPDATED: Access Holdings CEO, Herbert Wigwe, Wife, Son, Others Die In Chopper Crash In California

February 10, (THEWILL) – A chopper transporting Herbert Wigwe, the CEO of Access Holdings crashed on Friday night and killed him, as well as his wifc and one of his sons.

Also killed in the accident are Abimbola Ogunbanjo, Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and two other victims yet to be identified.

Sources said the chopper was headed to Las Vegas when it crashed near a border city between Nevada and California on Friday night.

THEWILL learnt from reliable sources that Mr. Wigwe flew from London with the party into California but could not continue to Las Vegas apparently because of some schedule hitches.

Consequently, they landed in Los Angeles and hired a chopper to Las Vegas for the annual Super Bowl which he usually attended with his family and close associates.

The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League of the United States.

No survivors were reported in the tragic chopper accident which occurred about 10 pm on Friday at the California-Las Vegas border.

The sad incident coincided with the 9th edition of the famous Access Bank Lagos City Marathon held on Saturday.in which 32-year-old Kenyan runner, Bernard Sang clinched the $50,000 prize money.

Wigwe’s death also comes on the heels of the demise of the Access Holdings Head of Media, Abdul Imoyo on December 17, 2023. He was buried January 18, 2024.

Wigwe launched the Access Holdings 5-year corporate strategic plan, 2023-2027 in January last year, which is due for a performance review this quarter.

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Sam Diala, THEWILL

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Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.

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According to the announcement, the commission had previously issued transmission service provider (TSP) and system operations (SO) licences to TCN, in accordance with the Electric Power Sector Reform Act. However, the Electricity Act 2023, which came into effect on June 9 of that year, provided clearer guidelines for the incorporation and licensing of the independent system operator (ISO), as well as the transfer of assets and liabilities of TCN’s portion of the ISO. Therefore, in the circular, the commission ordered the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to incorporate, unfailingly on May 31, a private company limited by shares under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA). 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These are the GenCos (power providers), Independent Service Operators (grid operators), Transmitting Company (power conveyors) and the DisCos (distribution of power to the final consumers). According to the source, the ISO has been existing and performing its function of evacuating power from the GenCos, and selling to the DisCos via the Transmitting entity. He said, successive administrations and TCN leadership were reluctant to allow the ISO operate independent of TCN because “that is where the meat is”. According to him, the ISO ‘unit’ under TCN relates with the GenCos and the DisCos buy buying power from the GenCos) and selling to he DisCos but “the DisCos are the trouble Nigeria has”. He explained to THEWILL that the DisCos do not accept the volume of power alloted to them by the GenCos on the flimsy excuses that they do not have the capacity to carry the entire volume. 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