Bababode Osunkoya, Acess Holdings chairman, dies after illness

Bababode Osunkoya, chairman of Access Holdings, is dead.

According to a corporate filing by Sunday Ekwochi, Access Holdings’ company secretary, on Thursday, Osunkoya, who was appointed chairman of the board in March 2022, passed away after a brief illness.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) and with a deep sense of loss, we write to notify the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public of the death of Mr. Bababode Osunkoya on November 21, 2023 after a brief illness,” he said. 

“Consequent upon this tragic event, the Company now has a nine-member board comprising six Non-Executive Directors (two of whom are Independent) and three Executive Directors inclusive of the Group Chief Executive Officer.” 

Ekwochi said the bank would notify the investing public subsequently of the board’s choice of his successor.

The deceased professional has over thirty years of experience spanning banking, accounting, asset leasing, and consulting.

Osunkoya held the position of managing partner at Chartered Accountants Abax-OOSA Professionals.

Prior to this, he served as Bababode Osunkoya & Co.’s principal partner from 1994 to 2007. 

In 1984, he enrolled in the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme at Premier Hotel Limited in Ibadan.

Osunkoya joined Z.O. Ososanya & Co. (Chartered Accountants) in 1985, where he eventually became an assistant audit manager in 1988.

He subsequently moved to Abacus Merchant Bank Limited where he worked between 1989 and 1993 and rose to the level of a manager. 

The accountant was a general manager at Konsuma Credit Limited between 1993 and 1995 where he oversaw the daily administrative and operational activities of the asset leasing and credit finance company.

Before his demise, he was equally the board chairman of several organisations including Haggai Mortgage Bank Limited; Richardson Oil and Gas Limited; Sedoso Agro Allied Company Limited and Guiding Light Assembly. 

He also served as an executive committee member of the Association of Reporting Accountants and Auditors in the capital market.

Osunkoya, who was one of the first certified forensic accountants, held a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Lagos.

He was also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).