Farewell Herbert Wigwe, the Fearless Port Harcourt Boy

Koko Kalango, MON

The Port Harcourt in which we grew up, was a Garden City.  The garden seeded a close circle of families who largely knew one another. This community was made up of mainly professionals: decent folks who lived simple, contented lives. This was the Port Harcourt of Herbert’s childhood.

The majority of our families lived in their own homes in different areas of the Garden City. The Wigwes lived in Rumuibekwe Housing Estate, situated opposite the SHELL Residential Area, as did the Kalangos, the Wilcoxes, the Oruenes, the Fubaras, the Fiberisimas. Recalling their childhood, Sowari Wilcox, tells of how the boys in the neighbourhood thought riding their Chopper, Tomahawk and Grifter bicycles was the ultimate sport until Herbert introduced them to a faster and more exciting one; rolling tyres at high speed. They soon abandoned their bikes and aligned with him, for the thrill of this new adventure.

Herbert and most of his siblings attended Port Harcourt Primary School as did myself, Rayam (my husband), and many of our friends. Founded in 1960, PHPS was the city’s flagship, international school whose multi-racial staff and student community, was a reflection of the population of Nigeria’s oil-rich city in those days. Our uniform elicited attention wherever we turned up, perhaps because of the notable 56 Pounds termly school fees, in the early ‘70s. In primary school, Herbert was a boisterous lad and almost 50 years later, Amie Georgewill (nee Ateli) still remembers her playground altercations with him. Herbert often got into trouble, along with Michael Halliday and Furo Pepple. But even when the school wanted to take serious disciplinary action against them, Herbert’s constant presence on the class merit list, spared the trio. In primary six, Herbert was voted deputy class prefect, assisting Edward Diete-Koki. He eventually rose to become class prefect.

Port Harcourt Club was a stone’s throw from Port Harcourt Primary School. Here, we would go, after school, for the weekly Tuesday children’s cinema. Founded in 1928, Port Harcourt Club had its affiliate Golf Course, servicing the leisure needs of the city. Some unforgettable moment for us was the annual end-of-year party when Father Christmas would land in a SHELL helicopter on the lawn of the club, bearing bags of assorted gifts for the happy bunch of children, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

In planning Herbert’s farewell ceremonies, the Port Harcourt City One Love community aptly chose to include these two landmarks; it organized a 3- kilometre walk, taking off from Port Harcourt Club, with a stop at Port Harcourt Primary School before proceeding to Herbert’s Port Harcourt residence, all in the old G.R.A.

Even if Herbert went on to secondary school and university outside Port Harcourt and settled as a professional in Lagos, he always kept close to his roots, investing in his State, identifying with what was going on back home, and being a part of the city’s groups.  Most prominent amongst these was the Port Harcourt City One Love community, led by his dear friend, Ambassador Idaere Ogan. In December 2023, Herbert recorded a video message to the One Love family, encouraging members to bond to move the city forward, primarily through education and health interventions.

Herbert did not just talk, he put his money where his mouth was. Through his HOW (Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe) Foundation, he pledged to build primary health centres across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State and he set up the Wigwe University, in his home town of Isiokpo. The Rivers State Government honoured him with the Grand Star Service Award.

On January 20th 2024, Herbert and his wife, Chizoba, were present at a fair organized by the Wigwe University, in Port Harcourt. My eldest sister, Eka Wokoma, a professor at the University of Port Harcourt, was in attendance. After the conference, she mentioned that Herbert and Chizoba were most unassuming, apparent from their disposition and his remarks on the day.

Indeed, Herbert had a heart for education. In the course of our work at the Rainbow Book Club, I reached out to him. Impressed by our ambitious plans to Get Nigeria Reading, beginning from Port Harcourt, he supported us and sent the ACCESS bank CSR team to partner with us to set up book clubs in schools. We did our best to keep him informed as we made progress, particularly when Port Harcourt was named UNESCO World Book Capital 2014.

Even if Herbert was a success story (co-founding ACCESS Bank with his friend Aigboje Aig-Imokuede, serving as CEO of the bank and then as CEO of ACCESS Corporation), he was humble and humane. But this would not come as a surprise if you knew his parents, Pastors Shyngle and Stella Wigwe, as well as his siblings, Joyce, Emeka, Peggy, Stella, even late Osita.

The last footprint of Herbert I witnessed was on a whatsapp group that had been set up for the funeral of another Port Harcourt boy – Ikwunga Wonodi, who was Herbert’s classmate in Port Harcourt Primary School. Herbert’s generous contribution to the purse for Ikwunga’s funeral came in on his last day on earth, Friday 9th February. That was Herbert for you – giving till the end.

Herbert, his wife Chizoba, and their son Chizi, died in an helicopter crash in the USA on their way from California to Nevada to attend the Super Bowl LVIII. He has left behind four children.

The weeklong funeral programme we began in Lagos, culminated in Isiokpo, Rivers State, where Herbert, Chizoba and Chizi were laid to rest on the grounds of the Wigwe University, ahead of its opening in September 2024.

The world has lost a good man.

Africa has lost a visionary leader.

Nigeria has lost a pacesetting patriot.

Rivers State has lost a shining star.

Farewell Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, the fearless Port Harcourt Boy.

•Koko Kalango is the founder of the Rainbow Book Club and Director, Port Harcourt UNESCO World Book Capital 2014. She writes from Lagos