Sixteen-year-old Osasere Okundaye, Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant, has shared the inspiring story behind her remarkable achievement, revealing that she began her journey with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at just 13 years old.
Speaking during the Power Must Change Hands monthly programme at the headquarters of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) in Magboro, Ogun State, Okundaye said she enrolled in ICAN’s Accounting Technicians Scheme (ATS) immediately after completing secondary school ahead of the usual university admission age.
According to her, the journey was far from easy, as she had no accounting background in secondary school and had to work much harder than many of her peers to pass the early stages of the examinations.
She also recounted suffering a setback after failing one of her final papers last year but refused to give up. After rewriting the examination in May this year, she passed successfully, earning her qualification as a chartered accountant at the age of 16.
Okundaye’s achievement has drawn national praise, with the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, describing her feat as a reflection of hard work, discipline, resilience, and excellence.