About 21 days before his death, the Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, in a post on X, urged his followers to number their days; at the time, no one thought much of it and just another businessman’s quote of the day. Sadly, after his sudden and tragic passing, the January 29 post became more meaningful to a lot of people, and many were convinced that he was indeed expecting his end.
In the post, the brilliant banker urged people to live a life of purpose and number their days. “Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift — a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience and connect. “Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, kindness, and gratitude, making every moment count. Let us number our days, “ he wrote.
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A social media prophet by the name of Prophet Dammy Paul also came out and claimed to have given a prophetic warning about a tragic plane crash. In the video, the prophet said people should pray against an air crash that would be the talk of the town and the death of a prominent Nigerian personality. The Pastor gave almost 99% accuracy of what was going to happen; he even named names and where the crash was going to happen.
Some social media users called out the pastor and claimed he tampered with the video. However, the Prophet, during a YouTube live with Njenje Media TV, stated that he indeed had a vision, but the video did not go viral to stop the tragedy.
Did the prophet truly see the crash, or did he fake the prophecy to gain popularity? Why did he not reach out to Wigwe’s family? Well, the Pastor has answers to all these questions. Without wasting time, let’s analyse and dig deeper into the story.
On Friday, February 9, 2024, the clock stopped ticking for one of the brightest bankers the African continent has seen, Dr Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings, Nigeria’s most prominent financial institution. His beautiful and unique life ended in a helicopter crash on his way from California to Nevada along with his wife, first son and three others.
Wigwe was instrumental in the growth of Access Bank, which he co-founded with his friend and business partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
Mr Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holdings, confirmed the news a couple of days later and said, “The Access Family has suffered a major loss with the passing of Dr Wigwe, who was a great friend and fine gentleman. He had a prodigious intellect, admirable personal qualities, and vast business experience, which he brought to bear on the Access Family and for which we owe him a debt of gratitude. We remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence.”
In a sober mood, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc also confirmed the sad news in a public statement confirming that Wigwe died alongside his wife and son on Friday, February 9, 2024, in a helicopter accident in the United States of America.
“The entire Access Family mourns the loss of Herbert, Doreen and Chizi. We extend our deep and sincere sympathies to his family and loved ones. Dr. Wigwe was a key driving force and a larger-than-life personality who brought his remarkable passion, energy, and experience to the transformation of the Access franchise since joining the Bank in 2002”.
While some believe his death is not natural and might have been planned by his enemies. An American-based social media Nigerian pastor who goes by Prophet Dammy Paul found himself amid controversy. He claimed to have foreseen the death of the former Group CEO of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe.
A day after the tragic incident, the prophet claimed that he had foreseen the unfortunate event and even recorded a video about it. In the video, the Prophet was clear and accurate with his prophecy and also announced the country where the crash would take place.
He reposted the video that was initially dated January 22nd and added a caption to it that read;
“I prophesied about the Access Bank Owner on Monday, 5th February 2024… It is so painful that he has passed away… Even though the video did not go viral… Yes, that’s what I actually wanted. I don’t want to trend because of another man’s sorrow,”
Interestingly, many social media users began calling out the Pastor and accusing him of trying to capitalise on another man’s tragedy by making the video after the accident had occurred. This also comes after the original video wasn’t found anywhere on his page. When people started asking questions, Prophet Dammy Paul eventually claimed Meta pulled down the original January 22nd video because it was reported.
Regardless, some people accused him of being a scammer, saying he made the video hours after the tragic incident and backdated it. Others question why he didn’t post the video on other platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.
According to one Folasade Ashabi, who had a previous negative experience with the Prophet, the post was backdated to fit the narrative of the late Wigwe’s death. Calling out the Prophet, Ahabi wrote;
“I had to go find the page and check the edit history of the post and realised the post has a NEW video added to it this night at 6:18pm and a new caption added saying Let’s pray for this family.
Obviously, it’s an after-incident video doctored to deceive the public. Some things can’t be hidden. It’s sad.”
Ashabi further claimed, “After the blogs pushed the video, the Pastor came back again and shared the post saying he said it and doesn’t want it to trend, whereas in the video, he said people should share widely. Isn’t that self-contradicting?
According to Ashabi, this is not the first time the Prophet has allegedly been fraudulent.
“Who remember olosho pastor Dammy Paul in the beginning of Fb fracas then before they sent him on exile? I am sure Ashabi Ibadan will remember him. See he has started his scamming skills again. Sebi he don join Yoruba actors in USA l saw him in few movies. Acting o ta mo, o ti pada si scamming pastor e. Omo ofo o dabi ewure to ku sinu omi”. He further asked.
Calling the prophet a Fake pastor, One Elu Omo Elu claimed he deleted the post when he realised he was caught backdating the video.
“The fake prophesy man of God claimed Facebook deleted video… Bloody liar. Something he removed himself when he realised people have discovered he edited old post and add a new video. He thought everyone is mumu here, go to Twitter and see how people backdate posts and claimed it was written years back”. I’m worried for people already asking for his phone no for personal discussion because they feel he sees real vision. Except he repents, he can’t see anything real again.
According to African Glitz TV findings, Facebook has made it possible to backdate posts on one’s timeline. Is Pastor Dammy Paul a true man of God or just another pastor trying to make a name for himself by using technology to support his prophesies?
Well, speaking with Njenje Media TV on Youtube live a few days after his prophecy came to pass, the prophet insisted that his prophecy was authentic and wasn’t fake.
Talking about how the prophecy came to him, Prophet Dammy Paul claimed that God often spoke to him while he was sitting down, eating, ministering and much more, but this particular one came to him while he was sleeping, and he woke up scared.
Talking about why the prophecy didn’t go viral, he said Facebook shadowbanned his page. The prophet, who revealed that he doesn’t have a physical church but operates through his social media pages, specifically Facebook, further talked about how many prophets see visions but are too afraid to come out to speak about them.
When asked why God didn’t stop the tragedy after he asked his thousands of followers to pray, the Pastor said he didn’t know the owner of Access Bank, and he didn’t do anything further because all these Nigerian rich people were not reachable, and the best way would have been if the video went viral, it could have possibly reached him.
Speaking on why people can’t find the original video, which he screen-recorded and reposted the prophecy, he claimed that Facebook removed the video, stating that it goes against their rules. When asked by the presenter why he didn’t appeal for the video to be put back as it is a very important video, Prophet Dammy Paul said he isn’t going to bother about it, that he is only a messenger.
Over the past few months, it looks like prophecy has become a popular trend in Nigeria. During the AFCON games, many people gave prophecies about the outcome of the final game; even Prophecy Dammy Paul announced that Nigeria would win, but we all saw how that ended.
On the contrary, It looks like Herbert Wige wasn’t expecting death, as claimed by some people in his post. Two weeks before he passed, the billionaire banker reportedly moved into his incredible new home, a multi-billion Naira smart home on Queens Drive, Ikoyi, that has since gone viral.
Following the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, his wife, and son, Isiokpo, his hometown in the Ikwerrre Local Government Area of Rivers State, has declared seven days of mourning to honour their illustrious son. The declaration was announced by the Nye-Nwe-Eli of Isiokpo, His Royal Majesty Eze Blessing Ahiazunwo Wagor.
The beloved bankers and aged parents have been comforted by the outpouring of condolences from notable Nigerian figures such as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Peter Obi, Tony Elumelu and several others. The support from many wealthy and prominent businesspeople who knew the banker personally is a testament to the positive impact he had on those around him.
What do you think about Herbet Wigwe’s post that got people talking?
How about Prophet Dammy Paul and his prophecy?
Considering the prophet’s refusal to retract his statements and reasons, do you still believe that he saw Herbert Wigew’s passing prophetically?
Or do you agree with social media users who claimed he backdated the video to trend?
