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Life And Times Of Nigerian Doyen If Accountancy, Akintola Williams

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Pa Akintola Williams, the Nigerian doyen of accounting died in the early hours of Monday at the age of 104.

William, who was also a prominent founding figure of Lions Clubs International, died in sleep, at his residence, Lagos.

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Here is the timeline of the Nigerian foremost accountant:

Early life and education
Chief Akintola Williams, the first chartered accountant in Nigeria, was born on August 9, 1919, in Lagos State.

His father, Thomas Ekundayo Williams, was a colonial service clerk who established a law practice in Lagos after receiving legal training in London, England. His grandfather, Z. A. Williams, was an Abeokuta-based merchant prince.

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He was the senior sibling of the late Rev. James Kehinde Williams, a Christian clergyman, and Frederick Rotimi Williams, who eventually rose to prominence as a lawyer.

He had his primary education at Olowogbowo Methodist Elementary School, and secondary education at CMS Grammar School, both in Lagos

He continued his education with a UAC scholarship to Yaba Higher College, where he earned a diploma in commerce.

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Williams then proceeded to England in 1944 to enrol at the University of London, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce in 1946 after studying banking and finance.

He went to England, finished his education, and earned his chartered accountant certification in 1949.

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Career and business life
Williams served as an assessment officer for the Inland Revenue after his return to Nigeria in 1950 until March 1952, when he left the government service and established Akintola Williams & Co. in Lagos State, which happened to be Africa’s first indigenous chartered accounting firm.

Five significant international corporations dominated the accounting sector at the time. Despite the fact that there were a few tiny local businesses, they were certified rather than chartered accountants.

Williams benefited from business from local firms such as the West African Pilot, founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe; the African Insurance Company, founded by K. O. Mbadiwe; the Fawehinmi Furniture Company; and the Ojukwu Transport Company.

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Additionally, he rendered services to the new state-owned businesses, such as the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation, the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Ports Authority.

His company, Akintola Williams & Co. in Lagos, which was established in 1952, expanded organically and through mergers to become Nigeria’s biggest professional services organisation by 2004.

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Williams was engaged in the establishment of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He has won numerous awards throughout the course of his lengthy career.

Charles S. Sankey, the company’s first partner, joined in 1957. Mr Njoh Litumbe, a Cameroonian, then took his place. Litumbe established satellite offices in Port Harcourt and Enugu, and she later led international expansion.

Some branches were established in Cameroon in 1964, and then branches were established in Swaziland and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as affiliates in Ghana, Egypt, and Kenya. The business employed 535 people and had 19 partners as of March 1992.

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The Companies Act of 1968, which mandated that businesses doing business in Nigeria establish locally incorporated subsidiaries and release audited yearly accounts, increased demand. There was a drive to promote indigenous company ownership in the early 1970s.

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The drive affected Chief Arthur Mbanefo’s management consulting firm, AW Consultant Ltd., which was spun off in 1973. In addition to acquiring a secretarial and computer service business, the company also entered into a profit-sharing agreement with Touche Ross International in 1977. Williams served on the boards of several additional businesses and was a significant shareholder in them. He left his job in 1983.

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Akintola Williams & Co. combined with two other accounting companies between April 1999 and May 2004 to form Akintola Williams Deloitte (now known as Deloitte & Touche), the largest professional services company in Nigeria with more than 600 employees.

Honours and awards
Williams received the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award from the Nigerian government in 1982.

After he retired in 1983, Williams devoted his time to a project to build a music centre and performance hall for the Music Society of Nigeria.

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He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in April 1997 for contributions to the accounting industry and support of the Musical Society of Nigeria in promoting music, art, and culture.

In his honour, the Akintola Williams Arboretum is located inside the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s main office in Lagos.

On May 8, 2011, John Kufuor, a former president of Ghana, and Akintola Williams received awards from the Nigeria-Britain Association in recognition of their services to democracy and development in Africa.

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He was awarded ICAN’s first ever Gold Medal Merit Award in 1988.

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Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.

The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.

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According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.

READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X

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Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”

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Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

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In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

 

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Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead

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The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.

Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.

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Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.

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A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.

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Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”

Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.

READ ALSO:Four Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Burial Ceremony In Anambra

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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.

Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.

This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.

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Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.

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Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management

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The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.

Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.

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Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”

But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO:Edo Govt Denies Shares As Ownership Tussle Rocks Ossiomo Power

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He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.

According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”

The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.

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“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down

Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.

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“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”

He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”

He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”

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