BEVERLY HILLS, May 27, (THEWILL) – The Chairman of the Audit Committee Institute (ACI), Christian Ekeigwe, has called for the establishment of an Akintola Williams University of Africa.
Ekeigwe, who is a fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA, Massachusetts), described Mr. Akintola Williams as the father of the accountancy profession in Nigeria and Africa.
When established, he said, the Akintola Williams University of Africa would be a constant reminder to all accountants in Nigeria and, indeed Africa, of the salient contributions of Pa Akintola Williams to the accountancy profession in Nigeria and the whole of Africa.
Ekeigwe made the call recently in his, “A Letter to my Profession II,I” titled, “A Pithy Call for Akintola Williams University of Africa – Generational Gratitude Matters.”
He said, “Our benefactor, mentor, and doyen, sage and luminary, in the pantheon of accounting, the centenarian Pa Akintola Williams, exerted discretionary energy to grow the profession in our community, for the benefit of posterity; and for his forbearances we are beholden to him.”
Describing Pa Williams as a “beauteous decoration of accounting and our civilization,” he said Pa Williams “lives his life affirming the promise of accounting, guarding financial truth, ensures that audited numbers remained inviolate, ensuring the sanctity of illocutionary audit opinion, and did not lead clients and society to trust the untrustworthy.”
“He is a fine man of responsible prosperity who did not exploit, but rather healed, the vulnerabilities of society when he practiced accounting.”
Ekeigwe stated further, that, unarguably, the best way accountants in Nigeria and Africa can say a befitting “thank you” to Pa Williams would be to establish a university in his name, noting that the university would also contribute to his wish of leaving a legacy that honours the “promise of accounting” with true professionalism.
According to Ekeigwe, “The promise of accounting or accounting promise is the totality of what society expects from accounting and which the accounting profession has historically pursued to deliver.”
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
