How Pa Akintola Williams died

Nigeria’s first indigenous chartered accountant, Chief Akintola Williams died in his sleep, TheNewsGuru.com reports.

TNG reports the doyen of accounting died on Monday (today) at the age of 104 at his house in Lagos State.

Ogun State Gov, Abiodun confirms demise of Accounting Guru

Meanwhile, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun has confirmed the demise of the Pa Williams.

Prince Abiodun in a statement described Pa Williams as an example of the true spirit of leadership and service.

The statement reads: “It is with profound gratitude to God that I offer my heartfelt condolences on the passing of our beloved national ICON, Mr Akintola Williams, CBE, CFR, http://B.com, FCA, an illustrious son of Ogun State.

“He was a guiding light, a beacon of hope, and a source of inspiration for all and the Accountancy profession in Nigeria.

“His dedication to our country’s progress and his tireless efforts to bring about positive change have left an indelible mark on our society.

“Mr Akintola Williams exemplified the true spirit of leadership and service, and his loss leaves a void that can never truly be filled.

“As we mourn the departure of this remarkable individual, let us also celebrate the incredible legacy he left behind. His contributions will continue to shape our nation’s destiny for generations to come.

“Please accept our deepest sympathies, and know that our entire state is united in sharing your sorrow. May God rest his departed soul”.

What Akintola Williams was to accounting firm – ICAN member, economists

Mr Joshua Oderinde, a former Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Ikeja District, has described the late Chief Akintola Williams as a blessing to the accounting profession in the country.

Oderinde said this in an interview in Lagos on the death of Williams, who died in his sleep on Monday morning at the age of 104 years.

“Williams has much impressive performance during his lifetime and the memory of him is full of positive impacts.

“He was a father to all and a good example to follow. We called him doyen of accounting profession in Nigeria and Africa at large.

“He was full of words of encouragement to both young and old in the industry.

“As a young man, Akintola Wiiliams inspired me to go into the accounting profession .He was the first man to qualify as a chartered accountant in Nigeria.

“His enormous contributions to the development of accounting profession cannot be overruled.

“May God grant his soul eternal rest and comfort his family,” Oderinde said.

Also, Dr Tunde Adeoye, an associate professor, commiserated with the family of Williams and Nigerians at large over the death of the accountant.

Adeoye said that Nigeria had just lost one of its industrious sons who made his mark in the accounting profession.

Adeoye said that the late Williams, who became chartered accountant in 1947, was instrumental and contributed to the establishment of  the well-known ICAN.

He also said that he contributed immensely to development of that profession.

“My prayer is that the Almighty will condole the immediate family he left behind and grant them to fortitude to bear the loss.”he said.

Dr Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), also said that Williams was a great accountant and a trailblazer.

“Being the first indigenous professionally qualified accountant, he was was able to set up a standard accounting firm, comparable to most international one.

“He was noted for his high integrity on the job”, he noted.

TNG reports that Williams 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, in 1952.

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.