Herbert Wigwe’s Legacy Lives on

In his lifetime, the late banking titan, Herbert Wigwe, dedicated his time and resources to the service of humanity. He gave much attention to social interventions. The two areas that he believed would make the greatest impact on people were healthcare and education.

Through his HOW Foundation, the late Group Chief Executive of Access Holding adopted so many primary healthcare centres in Rivers State — at least, one in each local government area — to refurbish, rejig with quality equipment and manpower and run for five years before handing over to the state.

The philanthropist was so passionate about service to humankind that he committed billions of naira to this purpose.

Just as it is written in the Bible, Proverbs 10:7, “Sweet is the memory of the righteous,” though gone, his memory and legacy have continued to reverberate as his good deeds have continued to be recognised and rewarded.

This came to the fore recently when the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, ACEGID, unveiled a garden named the Herbert Wigwe Memorial Fountain and Garden in his memory.

The occasion, as gathered, was the celebration of the centre’s 10th anniversary at the Redeemer’s University Ede, Osun State.

During the unveiling ceremony, the Director, ACEGID, Prof. Christian Happi, spoke glowingly of the late philanthropist, as he described him as one of the greatest humanitarians to have been born in the continent of Africa. 

Prof. Happi stressed that the garden is dedicated to honouring the life and legacy of  Wigwe, who was a strong advocate and supporter of ACEGID.

He remarked that he first met Wigwe a few years ago through a discussion about how they would work together and became good friends, noting that Herbert Wigwe was a very kind and passionate man who believed in philanthropy and using wealth for the betterment of others.

Prof. Happi further emphasised that from ACEGID’s conception, Wigwe was a staunch champion of their work and mission. He noted also that as ACEGID grew from an idea into an internationally recognized disease research institute, Wigwe continued to support them, reminding them of the impact they can make when they have supporters like the deceased.

Dignitaries at the event included Aliko Dangote, Herbert Wigwe’s family, a representative of the Osun State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, the Redeemer University community, the ACEGID community, friends and well-meaning Nigerians.