Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has described the passing of Nigeria’s pioneered Chartered Accountant, Akintola Williams, as the end of an era.
Akintola was reported to have died on Monday at his residence in Lagos at the age of 104.
The governor, in a statement he personally signed, eulogized the immeasurable contributions of the late Accountant to the field of Accountancy, saying his impacts in the profession will continue to be remembered and celebrated among generations of Accountants in years to come.
He, therefore, prayed for the repose of his soul and for the family and well-wishers to have the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.
“On behalf of the government and the good people of Ogun State, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of the doyen of Accounting, Late Chief Akintola Williams, who passed on to glory today.
“While we are going to miss his priceless contributions for over seven decades in the field of accounting, our solace lies in the profound legacies he left behind and his indelible footprints.
“May God Almighty rest his soul and continue to strengthen his family, numerous mentees and all his admirers all over the world,” the statement read.
The doyen of Accounting, Pa Akintola Williams died died in his sleep in the early hours of today, Monday, September 11, 2023 at the age of 104.
Akintola’s death symbolizes the end of an era for the Williams family as his junior brother, the Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams SAN was regarded as the doyen of the legal profession in his lifetime. Popularly called ‘Timi the Law’ in his lifetime, FRA Williams was the first Queen’s Counsel (QC), and the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He was born on December 16, 1920, and died on March 26, 2005.
Akintola was the country’s first indigenous chartered accountant, who pioneered Nigeria’s accounting profession.
Born in 1919, he was instrumental in developing the country’s financial sector. The renowned accountant studied accounting at the University of London and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1947. He returned to Nigeria and later set up his accounting firm, Akintola Williams & Co., now Deloitte & Touche.
Williams was also a strong advocate for developing the accounting profession in Nigeria.
He was a founding member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and was president from 1963 to 1965. He was also a member of the National Board of Accountants and Auditors.
Williams received many awards and honours, including the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM).
He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
