There was a mild drama as Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and Senate President Godswill Akpabio exchanged hot words during the burial of the late Access Bank Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe.
Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and his son Chizi were buried in his Omueke hometown in Isiokpo, Rivers State on Saturday.
The burial followed after the funeral service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In a now-viral video shared on Twitter, Fubara was seen saying;
During the burial of Herbert Wigwe, Governor Fubara and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio went head to head 🥶 pic.twitter.com/B4AjjaW0Qe
— Journalist KC (@kc_journalist) March 9, 2024
“This one has to do with our political class, what is all this trouble all about?
“You want to kill, You want to bury, what is it all about.”
Akpabio on his part replied: “What is the struggle all about? I will answer you.
“The struggle, we are not talking politics. In 2006 I wanted to be a Deputy Governor, so the then-deputy Governor invited me and told me that this office had no money, there was nothing in it. I don’t know why you still insist on moving me from here and taking me over.
“So the woman who went with me, said ‘Your Excellency, then don’t wait for impeachment, just resign since there’s nothing in it’.
“And he stood up and started punching the woman, and I told him, Your Excellency, don’t punch her, she’s telling the truth. There’s nothing in the office that’s why I want it because you’re too big for it.
“So Your Excellency Governor Fubara, if there’s nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle.”
Meanwhile, during the events leading to their burial, several friends, captains of industry, family members, and associates paid tributes to the late banking guru and his wife and son.
Leading the tributes at an event in Lagos on Monday, a tearful Aliko Dangote described Wigwe as his brother and friend.
“He was a pillar of support to me, and my family,” an emotional Dangote told the gathering in Lagos in a speech in which he renamed the road leading to the Dangote Refinery after Wigwe.
For Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event, Wigwe was a beacon of hope that left at an odd time.
“Herbert left us in winter before the season of bloom. Spring was just about to arrive at his last location, the United States when the Lord called for him,” Shettima said.
The VP also noted the late Wigwe was an early bloomer who transformed the Nigerian banking industry, recalling his visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to his community.
A former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, was almost inconsolable as he mounted the podium to pay tribute to his “brother” Wigwe.
Sanusi could not hold his tears as he narrated how late Wigwe helped him when he was dethroned as Emir.
He regretted that Wigwe had to die before him, saying, “I was thinking I would die and leave Herbert. We have all heard about him, about his loyalty”.
In what was perhaps one of the most touching tributes, the personal assistant to Wigwe, Sola Faleye, got many people in the hall and those watching emotionally as he narrated the last moments with his late boss before the unfortunate crash.
He said he was supposed to fly in the chopper alongside his boss and others but on second thought decided to accompany their luggage by road since the chopper could not carry it.
According to Falaye, he decided to accompany the luggage by road to ensure they arrived safely to his boss who told him it was a brilliant idea.
So he headed to Vegas by road with the luggage while Wigwe, his wife, son, and Mr Ogunbajo boarded the chopper to the same destination.
While still driving to Vegas, Faleye tried to call his boss and the others on the chopper, but none of the calls went through.
Some other dignitaries who paid tribute to the late Access Bank chief were the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Yemi Cardoso; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun; the President of the African Development Bank Group Akinwumi Adesina, among others.
