Mr. Akintola Williams, the Doyen of Accounting, is said to have passed away at 9 a.m. this morning (September 11, 2023).
On August 9, 2023, he recently celebrated his 104th birthday.
The first native chartered accounting firm in Nigeria was founded by Akintola Williams, who is also the country’s first chartered accountant, under the name “Akintola Williams & Co.”
In addition to becoming the first President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria (ICAN), he was instrumental in the establishment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
The Association of Accountants in Nigeria (AAN), which was founded in 1960 with the purpose of training accountants, was founded in large part thanks to Mr. Williams the association’s inaugural President.
- He was a founding member and first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
- He was also involved in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and he is the only surviving signatory to the original Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) at the founding of the NSE on September 15, 1960. He served as a member of the committee set up by the Federal Government to carry out a feasibility study on the viability of establishing a stock exchange in Nigeria.
- Member of the Coker Commission of Inquiry into the statutory corporations of the former Western Region of Nigeria (1962),
- As a member of the National Council of the Exchange, he contributed to the growth of its listing portfolio and established rules reducing barriers for companies to list on the exchange. He remained actively involved with organizations into his old age.
- Founder and council member of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
- Chairman of the Federal Income Tax Appeal Commissioners (1958–68)
- Chairman of the Lagos State Government Revenue Collection Panel (1973)
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Commonwealth Foundation (1966–1975)
- Chairman of the Public Service Review Panel to correct the anomalies in the Udoji Salary Review Commission (1975).
- Founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Musical Society of Nigeria.(MUSON)
Williams received the designation of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in April 1997. Williams was also awarded the Order of Federal Republic (OFR) in 1982 and Commander of Federal Republic (CFR) in 2001 by the Nigerian government.
The Akintola Williams Arboretum is named in his honor at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s offices in Lagos for his contributions to the accounting industry and to the promotion of arts, culture, and music through the Musical Society of Nigeria.
