“He Had Power to Do What We Couldn’t”: Agbaje Speaks on Wigwe Quitting GTB to Buy His Own Bank
- The Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO has opened up on the kind of relationship he shared with Herbert Wigwe
- He also spoke about how Wigwe left his job as an executive director to start his bank with a colleague
- The GTCO leader said that the Wigwe owned his first apartment in Victoria Island when many of his colleagues could not afford it
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Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over three years of experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, has spoken on how Herbert Wigwe chose to be different by doing things his way rather than following the norms.
Source: UGC
He said this while eulogising Wigwe during a Monday tribute by professionals and colleagues in Lagos.
He explained that although he became executive director of the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), the same day as Wigwe, the deceased had bigger dreams and was determined to own his bank.
He described the Wigwe as a brother, a competitor, and a friend.
The unconventional man
Recalling how they both worked at GTBank Agbaje said Wigwe distinguished himself from the rest by his commitment and understanding of finance.
He said:
“I met Herbert in November 1991. We were both in the corporate bank. This gentleman walked in and didn’t take off his jacket because we all had our jackets on. Well, that was Herbert; he would do it his way.
“He drove a red golf. Who drives a red golf? Only a man who’s that brazeni drives around in a red golf.
“Very quickly, Herbert earned our respect. Herbert was one of the cleverest people at Guarantee Trust Bank. He was a credit analyst’s analyst.
He, however, stressed that what took him to the peak of his career was more than just analysis.
He said:
“But Herbert had what we all didn’t have — he had the power to chase accounts, network and deliver things that we all couldn’t.”
A man of courage
Speaking about Wigwe's bravery, Agbaje noted that while most of his contemporaries were unable to leave their family houses, he was able to own his first apartment in Victoria Island, a posh neighbourhood of Lagos.
He said:
“Maybe it was a coincidence, but most people might not know Herbert’s first flat was next door to the old Access Bank head office next to Intercontinental. Maybe it was providence, and he knew he would one day buy that bank.”
Wigwe chased bigger dreams
The banker said he and his older colleague were promoted to GTB the same day, but Wigwe quit to follow his goals.
Agbaje said:
“Herbert was always there for you as a friend, always had a listening ear, and so he became my friend, and we rose; he and I became executive directors on the same day.
“The thing about that position is, you were then sent to Harvard for three months. Mistake. You never came back from that course, the same person. Aig and Herbert came back, and they had bigger dreams than the bank, so they bought their own bank.
“Thankfully, one of us stayed, maybe the cowardly one. And so I stayed behind, and in the years when they built Access Bank, if you know us well, we’d compete, and so we became fierce competitors. We fought furiously but never poorly or never badly.”
According to Agbaje, Wigwe was obsessed with his university, and the institution was the topic of their last conversation two weeks before Wigwe passed away.
The CEO said:
“I have but one little comfort, by the way, when I think of Herbert. It is that Herbert packed into 57 years what most exceptional people will never pack into two lifetimes.”
Recall that Wigwe, the group chief executive officer of Access Holdings, was reportedly involved in a helicopter crash while in the United States on Friday.
Wigwe, a high flyer in the Nigerian banking sector, had an illustrious career spanning decades.
Nigeria receives US report
Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) had obtained the initial findings from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the tragic Airbus Helicopter EC130B4 incident, which claimed the lives of Dr Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen Wigwe, their son Chizi Wigwe, and former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
According to Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NSIB, the preliminary report indicates that the helicopter suffered severe damage upon impact, leading to the fragmentation of crucial components.
The report indicated that witnesses observed challenging weather conditions during the flight, including rain and a combination of snow.
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Source: Legit.ng
