Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The doyen of accounting in Nigeria, Pa Akintola Williams, has died in his sleep on Monday, September 11, 2023, at the age of 104, Business Post has learned.
The icon is the first Nigerian to qualify as a chartered accountant. He pioneered the accounting profession and its education and was instrumental in developing the country’s financial sector.
Born in 1919, he 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.
Prior to his death on Monday, he was the remaining signatory to the establishment of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, which was then regarded as the Lagos Stock Exchange.
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.
Pa 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.
