Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has promised that the Rivers State Government will give needed support to the Wigwe Foundation to ensure that the dreams of the late Herbert Wigwe and founder of the Wigwe University live on.
He made the promise at the weekend at Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State- home town of late Wigwe during the funeral service for the CEO of Access Bank Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpo.
Addressing the mammoth crowd of dignitaries cutting across the various sectors and strata of the society, local and international, Governor Fubara noted; “I want to say that our brother has finished his work, though shortly.
“We as a government will do everything with the Wigwe Foundation to immortalise him. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the dream of Wigwe University will continue to live, just as he planned it. It is a difficult situation for us all.
“Yesterday night (Night of Tribute) we sang a hymn and I came to the conclusion that life is not the one million years that we live but even if we spent an hour, let it be impactful.
“Here lie our brother, his wife and son. Everyone has come to celebrate them. It means even in the short period that he lived, he lived an impactful life. He made a great contribution to humanity.
“He took the political class to task asking ‘What are all these struggles all about? You want to kill, you want to do all sorts, what are they all about?”
In his address, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio described the death of the Wigwes as a painful and abnormal type of situation and has many reasons to keep Nigerians mourning for a long time.
He said; “The death is very painful and very painful indeed. But we are not going to cry in one day alone. We will cry for so many days. It’s not a normal occasion. Normally the wife would have been around as the widow. If not the wife, the first son.
“This is a very abnormal occasion. We will continue to grieve after this. When you look at his university, you will cry, when you look at his personal house, an edifice, you will cry, when you pass through any of the Access Bank branches worldwide, you will cry. When you come across children that he touched, those that he sent to school and the lives that he touched, when they mention him, you will cry.
“When you even remember that his heir Chizi was already an iconic figure, a talented young man, highly educated, prepared to take over from his father and yet he’s no more.
“When you think of the fact that the wife would have been here to also mourn with us but she joined him, then you will cry.”
He conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu, his government, the NASS and all members of the legislature to the bereaved family, Access Bank and the remaining members of the family.
He said there was nothing to be done than to continue express sadness over the demise of the family describing the late Herbert Wigwe as an iconic figure, the people’s person, a friend and a brother to all that came across him.
Akpabio prayed; “Let me also extend the condolences of the federal government to the father and mother of the late Herbert Wigwe. May Almighty God console them and for those of you who are here may you never have to bury your child.”
Some of the dignitaries sighted at the funeral service include Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, Babjide Sanwolu, Governor of Lagos State, Pastor Eno Umo, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 election, Peter Obi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, alongside other distinguished guests.