The doyen of accounting, Akintola Williams, yesterday, died at the age of 104. Williams was said to have died in his sleep at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, yesterday, confirmed the death of Williams, who became Africa’s first chartered accountant at 30.
Akintola was Nigeria’s first indigenous chartered accountant, who pioneered Nigeria’s accounting profession.
He was born on August 9, 1919, into the family of Thomas Ekundayo Williams.
He had his primary education at Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Lagos in the 1930s and attended the CMS Grammar School in Lagos for his secondary education.
As a result of his academic brilliance, he won a UAC scholarship for his higher education at the Yaba Higher College where he obtained a diploma in commerce.
Afterwards, he then proceeded to the University of London in 1944 to study banking and finance where he graduated with a bachelor of commerce degree in 1946.
He continued his studies and three years later, he qualified as a chartered accountant in England in 1949, making him the first African to achieve the feat.
He returned to Nigeria in 1950 and served with the Inland Revenue as an assessment officer until March 1952 when he resigned to start his accounting firm, Akintola Williams and Co., which became the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Africa.
Williams was also a strong advocate for developing the accounting profession in Nigeria.
He was a founding member of the ICAN and was its 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.
