How Wigwe’s PA, Faleye from Ekiti escaped chopper crash

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Personal Assistant, PA to the former Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of Access Bank, Mr Hubert Wigwe narrowly missed travelling in the crashed Chopper

Irohinoodua was informed that the PA Mr Sola Faleye who hails from Ipoti Ekiti had escaped the crash because he travelled by road with the luggage belonging to Mr Wigwe.

Close sources to Faleye said he was a reliable confidant of the late CEO and that he offered to oversee the several luggage belonging to the Wigwe family which the Chopper could not contain.

Contrary to some reports, Sola never disobeyed his boss and never rejected to travel with the chopper.

He was also said not to have complained about the weather and did not request to travel with another means of transport.

The source said though his name was on the manifest, but when it became clear that the luggage of the Wigwe family could not be packed into the Chopper due to lack of space, Faleye volunteered to travel five hours with the driver conveying the luggage to Nevada.

Faleye was said to have remained in shock since the terrible incidence.

The private Chopper with Wigwe, wife, Doreen, son, Chizi and a business partner, former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Abimbola Ogunbanjo died after the Airbus Helicopter EC130B4 in which they were travelling crashed between California and Nevada. All six occupants died.

The Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of France, Emmanuel Macron and State Governors have sent condolences to the family.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has already reached out to the United States National Transportation Safety Board to ensure diligent investigation to the cause of the crash. The Chopper crashed 10pm last week Friday.