Nigeria’s Pioneer Chartered accountant Akintola Williams, has bowed out at the age of 104. According to Family source he died at his Lagos residence in the early hours of Monday, September 11.
Chief Akintola Williams was a Nigerian Accountant born in 1919. He studied accounting at the University of London and was the first Nigerian to qualify as a chartered accountant in 1947.
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After returning to Nigeria in 1950, Williams served with the Inland Revenue as an assessment officer until March 1952, when he left the civil service and founded Akintola Williams & Co. in Lagos. The company was the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Africa. He pioneered Nigeria’s accounting profession and was instrumental in developing the country’s financial sector.
Between April 1999 and May 2004, Akintola Williams & Co. merged with two other accounting firms to create Akintola Williams Deloitte (now known as Deloitte & Touche), the largest professional services firm in Nigeria with a staff of over 600
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.
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He 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.
May his soul rest in peace, Amen.