Sola Faleye, the personal assistant of the late Herbert Wigwe, shared his final moments with the former Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Holdings Plc before the helicopter crash.
Wigwe, his wife Chizoba, his son Chizzi, Abimbola Ogunbajo, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, and two pilots all tragically died in the crash.
Faleye revealed during a night of tribute that he missed the flight due to luggage issues.
“It was a sweet journey. 11 Hours we flew from London. I remember in the middle of the air. I walked up to him. I said, “Sir, how comfortable are you at night flying choppers? I’ve never done it before,” Falaye began.
“And he said, ‘This is America, they have a navigation system for flying choppers at night’; and I went back to my seat. And we landed. Everybody was filled with joy that we were finally almost there.
“We sat, waiting to be cleared by immigration, So coming out, we had two vans waiting, One was taking us to go aboard the chopper. The other took our luggage because they cannot go on the chopper.
“Throughout my years of working with him, I’ve always told myself that flying that way is not a luxury for me. I am on duty. And as they were loading the luggages. And this thought came to mind. That’s OK, you fly chopper one. One hour you are there.
“The next three and half hours, the luggage is not going to come. Will I go to bed? No. I still have to sit down and wait for those luggage to come. I’m like, so why not just go with the luggagge then, get there and deliver it to him and others in the room. Like I said, I always reason in the line of duty.
“And I walked up to him. I said, Sir, I think it’s safer and secure for me to just ride and bring the luggage to you.” He said it was a brilliant idea. And I said, safe flight.”
Falaye then drove to Las Vegas with the luggage.
