Prof. Osisioma
Prof. Benjamin Osisioma, of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State has described the death of Pa Akintola Williams at the age of 104 as the end of an era.
He made this ascertion while speaking on the demise of Williams during an interview with newsmen.
Osisioma, who is the immediate past president of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), said that, late Williams was a man who saw the future and a trail blazer.
He said that Pa Williams played a foremost role in the development of the accountancy profession in Nigeria.
Osisoma said he (Williams) facilitated the establishment of Association of Accountants in Nigeria, which transformed into the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
He also disclosed that Pa Williams was a founding member of ICAN and was also involved in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange, now the Nigerian Exchange Group.
The renowned professor added that the late sage was a seasoned administrator, an outstanding accountant, management consultant and sequential entrepreneur in his active working days.
According to him, late Williams played a key role in the lives of accountants who passed by him.
‘We mourn his passage and respect his legacy.
“We need to respect our hero’s to create room for more people to follow the footsteps of the hero’s past,” he said.
Pa Williams was the first Sub-Saharan African to become a chartered accountant after he passed the qualifying examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) in 1949.
He reportedly passed on, on Monday September 11, 2023 at the age of 104.
