VIDEO: Why I didn’t board ill-fated helicopter with my late boss, Wigwe’s PA breaks silence

By Oluwadamilare Emmanuel On Mar 7, 2024

Sola Faleye, Late Access Holdings CEO speaking on how he narrowly escaped boarding same ill-fated helicopter with his boss at the nigh of tributes on Wednesday Photo Credit: Channels TV

Sola Faleye, Personal Assistant to the late Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, has recounted how he narrowly escaped the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of his boss, the CEO’s wife, son, and business associate, Abimbola Ogunbajo.

Faleye made this known at the Night of Tribute held in Lagos on Wednesday.

NewsClick Nigeria reports that Wigwe died on February 9, 2024, in a helicopter crash in the United States, alongside his wife and son as well as a former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group) Abimbola Ogunbanjo. Two crew members also died in the ill-fated crash.

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He said he initially planned to travel by helicopter but reconsidered his stand, opting to travel to Vegas by road with the luggage. At the same time, Wigwe, his wife, son, and Ogunbajo took the chopper to the same destination.

Faleye said, “It was a sweet journey. 11 hours we flew from London. I remember in the middle of the air, I walked up to him. I said, ‘Sir, how comfortable are you at night flying choppers? I’ve never done it before. The app allocation system for flying choppers, I have never done it before,’ and he said this is America, they have a navigation system for flying choppers at night and I went back to my seat. And we landed. Everybody was filled with joy that we were finally almost there.

“We sat, waiting to be cleared by immigration, So coming out, we had two vans waiting, One was taking us to go aboard the chopper. The other one took our luggage because they could not go on the chopper. Throughout my years of working with him, I’ve always told myself that flying that way is not a luxury for me. I am on duty. And as they were loading the luggage. And this thought came to mind. That’s OK, you fly chopper one. One hour you are there.

“The next three and half hours, the luggage will not come. Will I go to bed? No. I still have to sit down and wait for those luggage to come. I’m like, so why not just go with the luggage then, get there and deliver it to him and others in the room. Like I said, I always reason in the line of duty.
“And I walked up to him. I said, ‘Sir, I think it’s safer and secure for me to just ride and bring the luggage to you.’ He said it was a brilliant idea. And I said, safe flight.”