Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a former Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun have mourned the doyen of Accounting Profession, Williams Akintola.
Akintola, an Ogun State indigene, died on Monday at the ripe age of 104.
In his condolence message, Obasanjo described Akintola as a Nigerian, who was so consistent in his contributions and influence to the accounting profession and the nation in general.
Obasanjo in a release by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, said Akintola was an unusual human being and a globally-acclaimed accountant.
The former President recalled that in the over 50 years of his relationship with the deceased, “I had directly and indirectly enjoyed his advice and support. In his cucumber cool, sober and unruffled disposition, he inspired you and warmed you to himself.”
The Balogun Owu maintained that Akintola’s insistence for truth and accountability would inspire anyone, saying he often admired his calm mien and disposition.
Obasanjo confessed that his interactions with Akintola were tangential for a number of reasons, adding that those of them in the military in the mid-1960s were looking at him at a distance with great admiration.
Having lived for 104 years, Obasanjo remarked that Akintola cannot be considered to have died an untimely or premature death.
He prayed God grant his family the strength to bear the heavy and irreparable loss
In his words, Amosun said he received with a deep sense of loss the news of the transition of Akintola.
Amosun commiserated with the Akintola family and “all of us in the Accounting profession on this great loss.”
As the first Chartered Accountant, a pioneer member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and its first president, Amosun disclosed that the late Akintola was “a true source of inspiration to many, including me.”
The former lawmaker admired the deceased elder statesman, stressing that he was an “achiever whose invaluable contributions and commitment to the growth of Accountancy in Nigeria and Africa are epochal and unquantifiable.”
Amosun spoke further: “On a more personal note, I recall the invaluable support he gave to our administration between 2011 and 2019 and the good people of Ogun State by personally attending our annual budget presentation at the Ogun State House of Assembly.
“He greatly supported the establishment of the Elderly Home Hostel in Abeokuta. I will miss his fatherly disposition towards me, and his words of advice, and encouragement.
May the Almighty God grant the doyen of the accounting profession eternal rest, and give his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the entire Akintola Williams family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Adieu to a great son of Ogun State, one of the progenitors of Ogun Standard.”