Former Akwa Ibom Gov, Udom tells FG to immortalise

Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has urged the Federal Government to immortalise Chief Akintola Williams for his decades of selfless service and honour to the nation.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday over the death of the accounting icon, the former governor observed that Nigeria’s first Chartered Accountant Chief was a torchbearer, an upright disciplinarian, an excellent mentor, and a man of astonishing intelligence who indelibly impacted the global accounting profession.

Emmanuel also eulogised Chief Williams as “an exceptionally brilliant, versatile, insightful, and incorruptible professional; an awe-inspiring personality, who gloriously bestrode his chosen path like a colossus and played very pivotal roles in building the Nigerian financial sector as well as instilling the much-needed accounting precepts for the development of our dear nation.”

“Over the years, as Nigeria’s first Chattered Accountant, the leading father of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the last surviving of the founding fathers of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Chairman of various key economic institutions including the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank, the Audit Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Federal Income Tax Appeal Commissioners, among many others, Chief Williams exhibited unmatched patriotism in setting the highest ethical benchmarks for best practises in Nigeria.

“As a Father of Accounting in Nigeria, Chief Williams devoted his time, energy, and resources, in public and private practises, towards nation-building as well as training and equipping budding accountants, especially through his firm (Akintola Williams & Co., now Akintola Williams, Deloitte & Touche).

“He was the epitome of faith, honesty, and hard work. Even in old age, he was always full of practical ideas, had solutions to every knotty issue, and continued on that path to the very end. He left indelible footprints and remains the undying source of inspiration for many, as his legacies will continue to live and impact lives for many generations to come,” Emmanuel said.