Okundaye, 16, shared how discipline and family support helped her become Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant.
Osasere Okundaye, Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant, has recounted how she began her journey with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at the age of 13, after finishing secondary school early.
Okundaye spoke on Saturday during the Power Must Change Hands monthly programme at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) headquarters in Magboro, Ogun state, four days after Ayodele Olawande, minister of youth development, announced her feat in a statement shared on his X page on June 29.
“I started this ICAN journey three years ago after finishing my secondary school early,” she told the congregation. “My parents encouraged me to start writing the ICAN examinations through ATS instead of just waiting around until I got to the right age for university.”
She said she enrolled for ICAN‘s accounting technicians scheme (ATS) rather than waiting until she was old enough for university admission, a decision her parents pushed for.
Olawande, in his earlier statement congratulating Okundaye, described the achievement as proof of what young Nigerians can accomplish.
“This remarkable milestone is a testament to the power of hard work, discipline, resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence,” the minister said.
Okundaye said the path was not easy, particularly because she had no background in accounting before starting the programme.
“I wasn’t an accounting student in secondary school, so the exams, especially at the first level, proved very difficult, more difficult than they probably were for other people at the same level,” she said. “But I had to put in extra effort, and with the grace of God, I was able to pass that first level. Ever since then, it has been a success.”
She also recalled a setback last year, when she failed one of her final examination papers.
“Last year, I failed one of my final papers, unfortunately, which I had to rewrite earlier this year in May,” she said. “To the glory of God, I passed that examination, and now I can say that I am a qualified accountant of the institute at 16 years old.”
MFM founder and general overseer Daniel Olukoya, who prayed with Okundaye after her testimony, praised her resilience and prayed for her to keep “moving from strength to strength.”
The Record Okundaye Just Broke
Okundaye’s qualification breaks a four-year record previously held by Jonathan Adewale, who became Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant in 2022 at the age of 17. Her feat also comes a year after Temilola Blossom Arise, an 18-year-old student at the University of Ilorin, passed her ICAN professional stage examination.
ICAN, the professional body responsible for training, examining and certifying chartered accountants in Nigeria, requires candidates to pass a multi-stage examination process. Most members qualify only after completing a university degree, making Okundaye’s achievement at 16, without prior university study, particularly rare.
