Nigeria’s first indigenous chartered accountant, Akintola Williams, has died at 104.
Williams over the years played a pivotal role in shaping the Nigerian accounting profession and fostering the growth of the Stock Exchange.
Born on August 9, 1919, Williams began his education at Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Bankole Street, Apongbon, Lagos Island, Lagos, in the early 1930s.
He attended Yaba Higher College on a UAC scholarship where he obtained a diploma in commerce. In 1944, Williams proceeded the to United Kingdom in 1944 where he studied Banking and Finance at the University of London. He graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Commerce.
In 1949, he qualified as a chartered accountant in England. While in London, he was one of the founders of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, with Dr. Oni Akerele as President and Chief Obafemi Awolowo as secretary.
In 1952, he founded the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Africa, Akintola Williams & Co, in Lagos. 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 a founding member and first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. The Late Williams played a leading role in establishing the Association of Accountants in Nigeria in 1960 with the goal of training accountants and became the first president of the association.
He also played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
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