Kunle Akiode is one of the few Nigerians who have taken time to develop himself academically for the service of mankind and for nation development. His penchant for knowledge culminated into studying at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, where he obtained an Ordinary Diploma in Computer Engineering Technology and a B.Sc. in Management and Accounting. He enrolled for MBA in the same institution where he obtained a degree in Finance, and also holds a Doctor in Public Administration from Africa Institute of Public Administration, Accra Ghana.

Presently, Kunle Akiode who is a fellow of many professional bodies nationally and internationally serving in different capacities of professional bodies, is the Lead Partner of A. A. Akiode & Co. Chartered Accountants – a Small and Medium Practice (SMP) Firm which provides support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in diverse areas of reporting and consultancy ranging from, financial and non-financial reporting, taxation, sustainability reporting, management training and compliance auditing.

In this interview with Nosike Moses, he narrated how his firm has been providing professional supports to SME operation in the country and how the advent of software helps accounting professionals to do their work better. Excerpts:

As a chartered accountant and software expert, how has the latter enhanced your profession and your experience?

My software expertise has presented opportunities and challenges in and around the accounting profession. By using digital tools, I am able to do a better job with lesser staff with the total costs significantly reduced and the accuracy significantly increased. As a Chartered Accountant and consultant, my work experience and expertise cut across different profession. Presently I’m the Africa Regional Consultant with the Center for International Private Enterprise CIPE supporting Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Nigeria. I’m one of the MCPE and CPE Facilitator for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Of Nigeria (ICAN); MCPEP and External Facilitator for the Nigerian Institute of Management Chartered (NIM); CDC and Workshop Facilitator for the Institute of Directors Of Nigeria (IoD); Project Management Essentials and Workshop Facilitator for the LTS Management Consults; CIPE’s Certified Anti-Corruption Compliance Consultant and an Advanced Trainer for the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington DC, Consultant on Sustainability Reporting, ISOS Group Amsterdam, a certified Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP); The principal facilitator to NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration) Finance Department on the implementation of the Accrual Based International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS); A facilitator to the Nigerian Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCS) JAJI and the National Defense College (NDC) Abuja on Financial Intelligence and SME Businesses in Nigeria etc.

Consulting for CIPE, what has been your achievement and impact your service on those countries so far?

In the capacity of a CIPE consultant and a certified trainer, I have unveiled the CIPE model to the participants with so much emphasis on the need for the African and particularly the Rwandan businesses to embrace clean business in order to attract foreign partnerships. Some of the success achieved so far includes, Skype conversations and familiarization between the CIPE Advanced Trainer and the Governance for Africa (G.A.) team to appraise the goals of the workshops. Additional Follow-ups on G.A. through WhatsApp and text messages was done. Pre-workshop training and briefing was given to the G.A. team ahead of the two days’ workshop via online platforms. Local Content & Strategic participants: The Registrar General of the Rwanda Development Board especially the Permanent Secretary of Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry was invited and participated in the event etc.

By providing most of the supports for Small and Medium Enterprises, how has that affected their operation, and how do you see the future of that sector in the country and Africa generally?

1. A. Akiode & Co. Chartered Accountants support the health and prosperity of the SME sector which is the engine room that drives economic development for most nations and Nigeria in particular by offering a range of services from traditional accountancy-based services, such as audit, other assurance, accounting and tax, to various forms of value-adding business advisory services, including advice on strategic planning, financial management, financing and risk management. SMPs like A. A. Akiode & Co. are also known to employ a large number of professional accountants giving rise to a need to pay deliberate attention to the well-being of this sector.

Tell us your experience over the years of reporting in different capacities of nation-building?

We need to put service above self and always seek to find and employ more efficient and more economical ways of getting things done. As the business environments in our country become more complex, the resource pressures on SMPs will continue to grow, so we need to ensure service quality is maintained whilst developing the capacity to provide additional support to the SME customers. It is therefore critical for SMPs to position themselves in terms of skills and technology to harness the great opportunities available on the global stage.

In the course of your profession, what has been your most challenging moment?

Each time I decide to accept the most scrupulous and transparently honest and ethical process of thought for all my decisions in my daily work and be myself free of any fraudulent and /or corrupt practices and within my scope of authority treat all persons as being equal, and refuse to give special favours or privileges to anyone there will always be issues springing up.

Some Nigerians are not comfortable with the way issues of taxation is handled in this country, what is your advice as a professional?

We’ve all heard the quote, (or, misquote?) “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” There is no such thing as a good tax. Make sure you pay your taxes otherwise you can get into a lot of trouble. Every advantage has its tax. Beyond just the three-letter word, tax is the price we pay for the country we want. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo once said, “The pursuit of wealth is not a bad thing in itself because without the food and comfort which wealth provides, life will be penurious and drab. But always remember that any wealth accumulated on a selfish basis, at the expense of the state in defiance of social justice helps to create a disorganized society in which everybody will eat everybody and no one person can be safe.” The word tax is from the Latin meaning, “I estimate” therefore every taxpayer needs to keep abreast of tax developments and ensure effective compliance with all the applicable rates, refrain from using tax avoidance vehicles created without economic substance and avoid aggressive tax planning.”

Finally, always remember to remunerate your tax consultant well because a good tax preparer is worth his fee.