Helicopter Crash: Senate Observes One-Minute Silence For Wigwe, Ogunbanjo, Others

The Senate observed a minute silence on Wednesday, February 14, to mourn the tragic demise of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings PLC, and five others who died in a helicopter crash in the United States last Friday.

The lawmakers spent a minute of silence in memory of Wigwe, his wife, and their kid, as well as in memory of the former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who passed away in a helicopter crash in California, not far from the Nevada border. The disaster claimed the lives of two other crew members.

The Senate, on a motion introduced by Senator representing  Rivers East Senatorial District Allwell Onyeso, urged the Federal Government to ensure that the  Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) under the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, works with its US counterpart, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to determine the cause of the accident and provide Nigerians with access to the results.

Meanwhile, witness accounts indicate that it may have been raining when the crash happened last Friday, according to US investigators.

“Witness reports to the weather condition at the time of the accident suggest rain and a wintry mix,” NTSB member, Michael Graham, said in a briefing on Sunday.

Subsequently, the NSIB declared that it was working with the NTSB to step up the inquiry into the helicopter disaster.