In a heartbreaking account, the personal assistant to the late Herbert Wigwe, Sola Falaye, shared the final moments he spent with the former CEO of Access Holdings Plc before the tragic helicopter crash that claimed multiple lives.
Recall that Wigwe, his wife Chizoba, his first son Chizzi, and Abimbola Ogunbajo, former Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, all died in the ill-fated crash alongside two pilots.
Recounting the journey from London, Falaye revealed Wigwe’s assurance about the safety of night flying in choppers due to advanced navigation systems. However, fate intervened as Falaye missed the ill-fated flight due to luggage complications.
During a night of tribute, Falaye described the bittersweet journey, stating, “It was a sweet journey. 11 hours we flew from London. I remember in the middle of the air, walking up to him, I said, Sir, how comfortable are you at night flying choppers? I’ve 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 took our luggage because they cannot go on the chopper.
“As they were loading the luggage, this thought started playing in my mind that, okay, you will fly a chopper, one hour you are there.
“The next three and a half hours, they are not going to come. Will I go to bed, no. I still have to sit down and wait for these luggage to come. I was like, why not just go with the luggage and 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 went up to him, I said, sir, I think it’s safer and will be secure for me to just ride and bring the luggage to you. He said, ‘brilliant idea,’ and I said, ‘safe flight.’”
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Falaye then drove to Vegas with the luggage separately to ensure its timely arrival, while Wigwe, his wife, son and Ogunbajo took the helicopter to the same location.
