Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant, Osasere Okundaye, has shared the inspiring story of how she began her journey with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at just 13 years old after completing secondary school ahead of her peers.
The 16-year-old made the revelation on Saturday while speaking during the Power Must Change Hands monthly programme at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) headquarters in Magboro, Ogun State.
Okundaye was recently recognised by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, as Nigeria’s youngest chartered accountant.
In a statement announcing the milestone, the minister described her achievement as “a testament to the power of hard work, discipline, resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
Recounting her journey, Okundaye said her parents encouraged her to pursue ICAN’s Accounting Technicians Scheme (ATS) immediately after finishing secondary school instead of waiting until she reached the age required for university admission.
“I am 16 years old. I started this ICAN journey three years ago after finishing my secondary school early,” she said.
“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 admitted that the journey was far from easy because she had no background in accounting during her secondary school education.
“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.
Despite the challenges, Okundaye remained determined. She recalled suffering a major setback after failing one of her final examination papers last year but refused to give up.
“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.”
Her achievement has been widely celebrated as an inspiring example of resilience, perseverance and academic excellence, particularly among young Nigerians aspiring to pursue professional careers at an early age.
