Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
Akintola Williams (born 9 August 1919) is a Nigerian accountant. He was the first Nigerian to qualify as a
chartered accountant.
[
He began his education at Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Bankole street, Apongbon, Lagos Island, Lagos, in the early 1930s; the same primary school his late junior brother Chief Rotimi Williams attended. His youngest brother Rev James Kehinde Williams was a pastor in the same church. Olowogbowo Methodist Church.
His firm founded in 1952, later grew organically and through mergers to become the largest professional services firm in Nigeria by 2004.][
Williams participated in founding the ]Nigerian Stock Exchange
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) now Nigerian Exchange Group is a Nigerian stock exchange founded in 1961 in Lagos. As of November 2019, it has a total of 161 listed companies, with 8 domestic companies on the premium board, 144 companies on the ...
and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) is a professional accountancy body in Nigeria. It is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Association of National A ...
.
During a long career, he has received many honours.[ He turned 100 in August 2019.
]
Birth and education
Akintola Williams was born in 1919. His grandfather, Z. A. Williams, was a merchant prince from Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...
and his father Thomas Ekundayo Williams was a clerk in the colonial service who set up a legal practice in Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
after training in London, England.[
He was the older brother of ]Frederick Rotimi Williams
Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, QC, SAN (16 December 1920 – 26 March 2005) was a prominent Nigerian lawyer who was the first Nigerian to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the 1950s, he was a member of the Action Group and subseq ...
, who later became a distinguished lawyer, and the late Rev. James Kehinde Williams, a Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
minister.
For his primary education in the early 1930s, he attended Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Lagos. Williams then attended the CMS Grammar School, Lagos
The CMS Grammar School in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos in Lagos State, is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society. For decades it was the main source of African clergymen and administrators in ...
.[
He went on to ]Yaba Higher College
Yaba Higher College was founded in 1932 in Yaba, Lagos, Yaba, now a suburb of Lagos in Nigeria to provide tertiary education to Africans, mostly in vocational subjects and teaching. The college staff were transferred to start the University of Iba ...
on a UAC scholarship, obtaining a diploma in commerce.
In 1944, he travelled to England where he studied at the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. 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.[
A Yoruba of chiefly background, the ]Oloye
Oba means ″ruler″ in the Yoruba and
Bini languages of West Africa. Kings in Yorubaland, a region which is in the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria and Togo, make use of it as a pre-nominal
honorific. Examples of Yoruba bearers include Oba ...
Williams was one of the founders of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa
Egbé Ọmọ Odùduwà (Yoruba National Movement) is a Nigerian political organisation established in 1945 by Yoruba leaders in London. Its initial purpose was to unite the Yorùbá people in a manner similar to the tenets of the Ibibio State Un ...
society while in London, with Dr. Oni Akerele
John Oni Akerele (died 1983) was a Nigerian doctor, Nigeria's first indigenous surgeon.
While living in London, in 1941 he married Dorothy Jackson, who was of African, European and Native American descent, and they set up home in Kilburn, in th ...
as president and Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe Om ...
as Secretary.
Accounting career
After returning to Nigeria in 1950, Williams served with the Inland Revenue as an assessment officer until March 1952, when he left the civil service and founded Akintola Williams & Co. in Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
.
The company was the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Africa.[
At the time, the accountancy business was dominated by five large foreign firms. Although there were a few small local firms, they were certified rather than chartered accountants.
Williams gained business from indigenous companies including ]Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), usually referred to as "Zik", was a Nigerian statesman and political leader who served as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. Considered a driving force behind the n ...
's ''West African Pilot
The ''West African Pilot'' was a newspaper launched in Nigeria by Nnamdi Azikiwe ("Zik") in 1937, dedicated to fighting for independence from British colonial rule. It is most known for introducing popular journalism within Nigeria. The main foc ...
'', K. O. Mbadiwe
Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe (1915–1990) was a Nigerian nationalist, politician, statesman and government minister in the Nigerian First Republic.and a Biafran Roving ambassador during th civil war.
Early life
Mbadiwe was born to the family of Mbad ...
's African Insurance Company, Fawehinmi Furniture and Ojukwu Transport.
He also provided services to the new state-owned corporations including the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria
The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), formerly the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), is an organisation governing the use of electricity in Nigeria. During the era when it operated as NEPA, the company managed a football team, NE ...
, the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation
Nigerian Railway Corporation (commonly abbreviated as NRC) is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria.
History and legislative background
The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year ...
and the Nigerian Ports Authority
The Nigerian Ports Authority (''NPA'') is a federal government agency that governs and operates the ports of Nigeria. The major ports controlled by the NPA include: the Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port in Lagos; Calabar Port, Delta ...
.[
The first partner in the firm, Charles S. Sankey, was appointed in 1957, followed by the Cameroonian Mr. Njoh Litumbe. Litumbe opened branch offices in Port Harcourt and ]Enugu
Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...
, and later spearheaded overseas expansion. In 1964, a branch was opened in the Cameroons
British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British Empire, British League of Nations mandate, mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of th ...
, followed by branches in Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
and Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
, and affiliates in Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and Kenya
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, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
. By March 1992, the company had 19 partners and 535 staff.[
Demand grew as a result of the Companies Act of 1968, which required that companies operating in Nigeria formed locally incorporated subsidiaries and published audited annual accounts. The drive in the early 1970s to encourage indigenous ownership of businesses also increased demand.
In 1973, AW Consultant Ltd, a management consultancy headed by Chief Arthur Mbanefo, was spun off. The company acquired a computer service company and a secretarial service, and in 1977, the company entered into an agreement with Touche Ross International based on profit sharing.
Williams was also a board member and major shareholder in a number of other companies.
He retired in 1983.][
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.][
]
Public roles and honours
Williams played a leading role in establishing the Association of Accountants in Nigeria in 1960 with the goal of training accountants. He was the first President of the association.[
He was founding member and first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.][
He was also involved in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
He remained actively involved with these organisations into his old age.
At a stock exchange ceremony in May 2011, he called on operators to protect the market and ensure there was no scandal. He said that, if needed, market operators should not hesitate to seek his advice on resolving any problem.
Public sector positions held by him include Chairman of the Federal Income Tax Appeal Commissioners (1958–68), member of the Coker Commission of Inquiry into the Statutory Corporations of the former Western Region of Nigeria (1962), member of the board of Trustees of the ]Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation (CF) is an intergovernmental organisation that was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1966, a year after its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Foundation is located at Marlb ...
(1966–1975), Chairman of the Lagos State Government Revenue Collection Panel (1973) and Chairman of the Public Service Review Panel to correct the anomalies in the Udoji Salary Review Commission (1975).
Other positions include President of the Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, Lagos
Victoria Island (VI) is an affluent area that encompasses a former island of the same name neighbouring Lagos Island, Ikoyi and the Lekki Peninsula by the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and financial centre of Lagos State, Nigeria. Vi ...
, Founder and Council member of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation is an environmental non-governmental organization which works to preserve the natural resources and biodiversity of Nigeria. The Foundation was founded in 1980 by Shafi Edu and has worked since then on a num ...
and Founder and chairman of the board of Trustees of the Musical Society of Nigeria.[
In 1982, Williams was honoured by the Nigerian Government with the O.F. R.][
Following retirement in 1983, Williams threw himself into a project to establish a music centre and concert hall for the Music Society of Nigeria.][
In April 1997, Williams was appointed a ]Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
.[ for services to the accountancy profession and for promotion of arts, culture and music through the Musical Society of Nigeria.][
The Akintola Williams Arboretum at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation headquarters in Lagos is named in his honour.
On 8 May 2011, the Nigeria-Britain Association presented awards to ]John Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.
Kufuor's career has been sp ...
, past President of Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, and to Akintola Williams, for their contributions to democracy and development in Africa.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Akintola
1919 births
Living people
Yoruba politicians
Businesspeople from Lagos
Nigerian financial analysts
Alumni of the University of London
Officers of the Order of the Federal Republic
Nigerian accountants
Egbe Omo Oduduwa politicians
Yoruba businesspeople
20th-century Nigerian businesspeople
21st-century Nigerian businesspeople
CMS Grammar School, Lagos alumni
Nigerian company founders
Yaba Higher College alumni
Nigerian centenarians
Men centenarians