To live to an over-ripe age of 104 years in a country where life expectancy, by 2023 record, is 55.75 years, speaks volumes of the life of the doyen of the Accountancy profession in Nigeria and the first chartered accountant, Pa Akintola Williams. He was the elder brother of another great who made his mark in the legal profession as the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Fredrick Alade Rotimi Williams (Timi the law).
Pa Akintola’s life was defined by a regimen of self-discipline, moderation in all things human and application of self to the improvement of mankind and the environment through hard work, unyielding commitment and dedication.
As already pointed out, he was the foremost accountant in Nigeria. But he made forays into territories that are outside his immediate calling. He was an arts connoisseur of admirable hue. Williams devoted his time to a project to build a music Centre and performance hall for the Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON Centre), gave his time to environmental matters and paid more than a passing attention to issues that promoted conservation of species that were endangered. His determination to hand over to younger generations an ecosystem that is as healthy as it is enduring earned him accolades that testify to his versatility. In his honour, the Akintola Williams Arboretum is located inside the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s main office in Lagos.
Since his passing, it has been a flurry of deserved tributes by many whose lives he touched in more ways than one. For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Oloye Williams, as he was fondly called by his admirers, epitomized integrity, resilience and resourcefulness. He inspired self-confidence in a generation of professionals who would make further impact in strengthening transparency and competence in the accounting profession.
He mentored many young Nigerians one of whom is Adewale Osinowo. In his tribute he said “We’ve received a lot of training from him. His humility, his professionalism and his integrity and transparency and his input to accountancy and the economy at large is excellent.”
It is instructive to point out that in 1952 when he launched out with his firm of Akintola Williams & Co and blazed the trail, the terrain was dominated by foreigners who took unfair advantage of the colonial system then. Though there were a few local practitioners in the profession in those early days, they were certified and not chartered. Akintola Williams made his services available to indigenous private businesses and quite a good number of public corporations.
His firm later grew organically and through mergers to become the largest professional services firm in Nigeria by 2004. 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.
Noteworthy also is the fact that Williams played a significant role in the founding of the Nigerian Stock Exchange as well as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an institute that is, today, a must go to for anyone desirous of making it in the profession.
Akintola Williams was born on August 9, 1919. For his primary education in the early 1930s, he attended Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Lagos, and the then prestigious CMS Grammar School, Lagos for his secondary school education. He went on to Yaba Higher College on a UAC scholarship, obtaining a diploma in commerce. In 1944, he travelled to England where he studied at the University of London. Studying Banking and Finance, he graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Commerce. He continued his studies and qualified as a chartered accountant in England in 1949.
Williams was one of the founders of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa society, a cultural club of sorts, while in London. It is pertinent to observe that this cultural society later metamorphosed into a political party, the Action Group (AG) that dominated Yoruba, albeit, Nigerian politics in the first republic. It also brings to the fore the political side to the Williams’ Family. We recall that his younger brother, Chief Rotimi Williams, was the Attorney General of Western Region and at some point, acted as the Premier.
His expertise was immensely sought after and he served in a good number of public sector positions including as Chairman of the Federal Income Tax Appeal Commissioners, member of the Coker Commission of Inquiry into the Statutory Corporations of the former Western Region of Nigeria, member of the board of Trustees of the Commonwealth Foundation, Chairman of the Lagos State Government Revenue Collection Panel and Chairman of the Public Service Review Panel to correct the perceived anomalies in the Udoji Salary Review Commission.
In 1982, Williams was honoured by the Nigerian Government with the award of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). The guru of the accounting profession was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to the accountancy profession and for promotion of arts, culture and music.
As the doyen takes a bow and transits to the hereafter, we join his family, other relations, friends and associates in wishing him a peaceful repose.
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