Herbert Wigwe was a pride to Igbos and Nigeria at large—-Ohanaze Ndi Igbo

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, yesterday described the late Herbert Wigwe as a source of joy to Igbo land, Ikwere land, Nigeria and the world.

Iwuanyanwu made the remarks when he led other Igbo stakeholders to pay a condolence visit to Mr Shyngle Wigwe, the father of the late Herbert Wigwe, in his Lagos home.

Other top Igbo personalities at the event included: former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Okey Eme Uche; former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; former Chief of Naval, Commander Ebitu Ukiwe, traditional rulers and dignitaries of Ohaneze ndi Igbo among others.

While consoling Herbert’s parents, the President-General said: “Harbert Wigwe is my son. He was a very proud son of Igbo land, we are very proud of him. His father, Shyngle Wigwe is my very good friend. He is an Engineer like myself.

“He is a very intelligent man from childhood and of course, he has children who are very brilliant too.

“Herbert his son attended the University of Nigeria and he was a very good student, we are very proud of him. So, in his life as a professional accountant, he was a source of pride to Igbo land, source of pride to Ikwere land, and source of pride to Nigeria and everybody.

“We are happy that God has brought such a wonderful person. Yes, he has died, people said it is untimely but God knows why.

“Only God can say what is timely and what is untimely, but we give thanks to God that God brought such a very credible personality in our soil, and he was able to achieve a lot during his short span of life. We pray to God Almighty for his soul to rest in peace,” he added.

Also appreciating the founder of Dangote groups, Mr. Aliko Dangote who came around to see the parents of Herbert, Iwuanyanwu said: “There is a friend that is better than a brother. You are such a friend. We are very grateful for the love you have shown in the death of our brother. Igbos will never forget it.

“We are very grateful to you. We are going to show gratitude to you, not today, because of what you have done for our brother,” he added.

While receiving the delegates, and thanking them for their concerns, Harbert’s father, who appeared stronger, charged everyone to amend their ways because no one knows when death can call.

He stated that to bury three children at the same time is not easy.

He said: “I’m indeed very grateful that you have come to see us. May what happened never happen to anyone here in Jesus name. It is something you will never wish for your enemy.

“As a child of God, I’m happy with the gift of God in the person of Harbert. That gift he gave to me for 57 years gives me so much joy. I’m very pleased.

“Naturally, one would be sad, shocked, one would want to feel disappointed, but what I want to tell you today is that Harbert is not dead. Indeed, he has been promoted to another life.

“When people come to see me crying, I ask them, why are you crying? When you look around, there is hardly anybody who is likely to live here for another 70 years. We’re just crossing in transit here, this is like the normal market we go to, everybody, you go and buy and go back home.

“We’re in transit here, it’s a temporary place. One thing we know is that death has no respect for anybody. There’s nobody who has any immunity for death, it goes round, it rains everywhere. Indeed, even as we speak, some of those who have been with us since, maybe one or two may have gone.

“So, one thing is definite, every one of us here must go, and so there is no point in crying. But what is important is where you are going. What is important is where you are going.

It is important that we all embrace Jesus at this point in time, that was one lesson I learned from my son’s death,” Herbert Wigwe’s father advised.