Story 6: Nigeria: Herbert Wigwe and how he Protected His Wealth — Even After Death_
When Herbert Wigwe, the late CEO of Access Bank, passed in early 2024, extended family members tried to assume “control” of his estate. It was no small battle at the High Court Ikeja in *Christian Wigwe & Anor v. Otutochi Wigwe & Others [ ID/7735FPM/2024] unreported.
The Claimants sought to:
*be Appointed as interim administrators of H. Wigwe’s estate;
* Disclose financial assets via a Norwich Pharmacal order (- order mandating a person in charge of information to produce same so the inquirer may have access);
* Challenge the role of his daughter and cousin as legal guardians and estate controllers.
Did the Claimants succeed? No.
Why?
Because Herbert **structured EVERYTHING*
He:
✅ Had a valid “Will”, executed abroad and accepted by Lagos probate
✅ Used **Trustees** and **Executors** he appointed personally
✅ Moved key assets under HoldCos, Special Purposes Vehicles (SPVs), and Trusts —not in his personal name.
—🧠 Lessons for Creatives, Founders & Professionals
1️⃣ Don’t just earn — “structure”!
2️⃣ Own your music/IP/brand via HoldCos
3️⃣ Use “Trusts” to protect against any possible or future legal suits from
unauthorized interference with your estate
4️⃣ A *Will can be challenged*, but a *Trust is far more secure*- The Norwich Pharmacal Order failed because the Executors who had responsibility to produce information regarding Herbert Wigwe’s estate simply are not allowed to do so under a Legal Trust.
🚨What I Learned and What you can too:
> If Wigwe had left his estate “in his name,” and not adopted proper structuring of his estate with the instrument of Wills and Revocable Trusts the court battle may have turned out differently.
This isn’t just a story about a big time Banker and Serial Entrepreneur—it’s a wake-up call for **African creatives**:
✅Estate structuring is not only applicable to real property and multi millionaires in stocks and the financial sector.
🎯Intellectual Property is also Property
🎤 Your Intellectual Property is your Estate as a Creative and should be treated as such.
🎬 Your catalogue is your legacy and your silence on legal structure is a risk.
🎯 Don’t wait till you are 59. Herbert Wigwe passed on at 57.
🛑In your mind- this man died too young🥲
✅But this was a Young guy that structured all his assets while he was alive and it’s his beneficiaries who are blessed for it.
——
My name is Siena Unukogbon. They call me hashtag#TheRealSingingLawyer. I am championing wealth creation for Creatives through the extraordinary instruments that the wealthy have used and continue to use for generational wealth. I follow the money wherever it goes or is coming from, from the beginning to the end.
hashtag#LegacyPlanning hashtag#TrustLaw hashtag#HoldCo hashtag#IPStrategy hashtag#CreativeWealth hashtag#AfricanCreators hashtag#MusicBusiness hashtag#EstatePlanning hashtag#EntertainmentLaw hashtag#GenerationalWealth hashtag#LawMeetsMusic hashtag#Wigwe
This post is underrated here. It contains very important lessons I learned from my late brother, Herbert, and it was possible for him to do so because he hired proper wealth managers and advisors. Our fathers didn’t know about this, and I am still embroiled in inheritance issues 14 years after my father’s death.
Creative assets are assets. I receive offers regularly from individuals who want to acquire my holdings in startups where I have invested. This is only possible because the startups are doing well. I also made the canonical mistake of investing in my name earlier, and I have since changed all that. Keita is investing; I am not.
Victor Asemota