Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant, Osasere Okundaye, has shared how she overcame a major setback after failing one of her final Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) examinations before eventually earning the prestigious qualification at just 16 years old.
Okundaye recounted her journey during a visit to the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Daniel Olukoya, where she reflected on the determination and resilience that helped her achieve the record-breaking feat.
According to the teenager, she embarked on the ICAN journey three years ago after completing secondary school ahead of her peers.
Rather than waiting until she became eligible for university admission, her parents encouraged her to enrol in the Accounting Technicians Scheme (ATS), the institute’s entry-level professional programme.
“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.
She admitted that the programme was particularly demanding because she did not study accounting in secondary school, making the early examinations more challenging than they were for candidates with prior knowledge of the subject.
“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 people at the same level. 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 explained.
Despite her steady progress, Okundaye revealed that she encountered one of the biggest obstacles of her career when she failed one of her final professional papers last year.
Rather than giving up, she prepared for the resit examination, which she wrote in May this year, and successfully passed.
“Last year, I failed one of my final papers, unfortunately, which I had to rewrite earlier this year in May, and 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.
Reacting to the achievement in a post on X, Olukoya described the milestone as a testament to God’s faithfulness and the rewards of discipline, resilience and commitment to excellence.
He said Okundaye’s accomplishment should inspire young Nigerians by demonstrating that age is not a barrier to outstanding success.
“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 that her achievement showed what could be accomplished through diligence, determination and a clear vision.
The accomplishment also attracted praise from Ayodele Olawande, who described Okundaye as a shining example of the immense potential of Nigerian youths.
Okundaye secured the national record after completing the demanding ICAN professional examinations, surpassing the previous benchmark set in 2022 by Jonathan Adewale, who became Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant at the age of 17.
