Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has described the late doyen of the Accounting profession, Williams Akintola, as an icon and unusual specimen of a human being.
He said in a release by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, that the late Akintolawas so pervasive and consistent for his contributions and influence to the accounting professionals in particular and the nation in general.
The former president said, “I had directly and indirectly enjoyed his advice and support. He inspired and warmed you to himself in his cucumber cool, sober, and unruffled disposition.
“His reflections and piercing insights and insistence for truth and accountability cannot but inspire you. I often admired his calm mien and disposition, and when I asked a friend, “Why is he always so calm, composed and methodical? He answered, “It is because he has strong internal antenna for controls!”
“He was so pervasive and consistent in his contributions and influence that the accounting professionals in particular and the nation in general must keenly feel his departure. He was an icon and an unusual specimen of human being as well as a nationally-renowned and globally-acclaimed accountant.
“I must confess that my interactions with Mr. Akintola Williams were tangential for a number of reasons. When those of us in the military in the province like Kaduna, where I was, came to Lagos in the mid-1960s, we were looking at the likes of Mr. Akintola Williams at a distance with great administration and in awe.”
Obasanjo added that, having lived for 104 years, Mr. Akintola Williams cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered to have died an untimely or premature death.
“I pray that the Almighty will grant him sweet repose and give you and other members of his family the strength to bear the heavy and irreparable loss.”
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