Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant, Osasere Okundaye, has revealed that she failed one of her final professional examinations conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria before eventually qualifying at the age of 16.
Okundaye disclosed this during a visit to the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, where she recounted her three-year journey to becoming a chartered accountant.
She explained that she embarked on the ICAN journey shortly after completing secondary school, following the advice of her parents to enrol in the Accounting Technicians Scheme instead of waiting to gain admission into the university.
READ ALSO: FG Shuts 22 Illegal Colleges Of Education Nationwide
“I started this ICAN journey three years ago after finishing secondary school early. My parents encouraged me to start taking the ICAN examinations through ATS instead of just waiting around until I reached the right age for university,” she said.
Okundaye admitted that the journey was far from easy because she did not study Accounting in secondary school, making the early stages of the programme particularly challenging.
“I wasn’t an accounting student in secondary school, so the examinations, especially at the first level, proved more difficult for me than for other candidates. I had to put in more effort, and with the grace of God, I was able to pass the first level. Ever since then, it has been success after success,” she added.
Despite her steady progress, she said she suffered a major setback after failing one of her final professional papers last year.
“Last year, I failed one of my final papers, which I had to rewrite earlier this year in May. 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,” she said.
The Accounting Technicians Scheme is ICAN’s entry-level professional programme designed to prepare candidates for the institute’s chartered accountancy qualification.
Reacting to the achievement in a post on X on Saturday, the founder of MFM, Daniel Olukoya, described Okundaye’s feat as a testament to diligence, resilience and God’s faithfulness.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Renames Federal University Of Education Kano After Yusuf Maitama Sule
“Today, we celebrate with one of our own, Osasere Okundaye, as she shares the inspiring testimony of becoming Nigeria’s youngest Chartered Accountant at just 16 years old,” he wrote.
He added, “This extraordinary achievement stands as a powerful testament to God’s faithfulness and what can be accomplished through diligence, discipline, resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
According to the cleric, her accomplishment demonstrates that age is not a barrier to greatness.
“Her journey is an inspiration to young people everywhere, proving that with God’s grace, determination and a clear vision, age is never a limitation to success,” he stated.
The achievement also attracted praise from the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who described Okundaye as a shining example of the immense potential of Nigerian youths.
Okundaye set the new national record after successfully completing the rigorous ICAN professional examinations, surpassing the previous record established in 2022 by Jonathan Adewale, who qualified as Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant at the age of 17.