SANWO-OLU, ABIODUN, DANGOTE, OTHERS BID AKINTOLA WILLIAMS FAREWELL
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…… He was an outstanding Nigerian, big Lagosian, says Lagos Governor
Along with other notable Nigerians, Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu attended the funeral service of Chief Akintola Williams, the country’s first indigenous chartered accountant and a distinguished statesman, on Thursday. His Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and Dangote Group Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, were also present.
The funeral service was held at the Shell Hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, by the Wesley Cathedral in Olowogbowo, Lagos. Among those in attendance were Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the former governor of Ogun State; Mr. Jim Ovia, the founder of Zenith Bank; General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), the former minister of foreign affairs; captains of industry; bank executives; and relatives, friends, and associates of the deceased, both domestically and overseas.
Speaking at the funeral service, Governor Sanwo-Olu, described the late Williams as an outstanding Nigerian and big Lagosian.
He said: “At 104, how well would you describe a man that God first blessed with a long life and for a very long time, good health, and he had shown leadership at all levels? He was an outstanding Nigerian; a man who took his professional colleagues to enviable level worldwide.
“He was also a lover of God, a churchgoer, and a man who built the altar of a church. He had all of the pillars to tick as a good man. We can only wish the family all the very best.
“To the country, we have lost an outstanding Nigerian and for us in Lagos, we lost a big Lagosian. We will continue to have memories of the hospitable life that he lived. I will miss him personally. I believe he lived a good life.”
Also speaking, Governor Abiodun said the footprint of the late Akintola Williams will remain in the sand of time for many years because of what he stood for during his lifetime.
He said: “Baba (Akintola Williams) was an exceptional Nigerian because the Almighty God granted him the grace to live up to 104 years old. I am not sure we know many Nigerians that lived that long.
“He was a man after God’s heart. He was a big philanthropist and a lover of music. He was a man whose footprint will remain in the sand of time for many years for all that he stood for. 
“On behalf of the government and the entire people of Ogun State and my family, we commiserate, congratulate and celebrate with the members of Baba’s immediate family and friends, the government and people of Lagos State, and of course Nigeria at large. We pray that God Almighty will grant the family and well-wishers the heart to bear the colossal loss.”
In his sermon, the Prelate Emeritus of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Makinde, urged family, friends and associates to immortalise the deceased by supporting the Akintola Williams Centenary Building Project of the Church.
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