How Luggage Stopped Me From Joining Ill-fated Chopper, Wigwe’s PA Recounts Ordeal

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

Faleye announced this at the Night of Tribute held in Lagos.

He stated that he had planned to travel by helicopter but later changed his mind, choosing to travel to Vegas by road with the luggage. Wigwe, his wife, son, and Ogunbajo all took the helicopter to the same place.

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.” (Punch)