Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla, the former Accountant General of the Federation, passed away at 69, in the United Kingdom on Monday, June 17, 2024.
A family member reported that Otunla, originally from Irawo, Atisbo in Oyo State, who had just celebrated his 69th birthday on June 12, died in his sleep.
The family source mentioned, “He slept and didn’t wake up. He still opened the door for someone at 5 O’ clock this morning and went back to sleep, but didn’t wake up.”
Beyond Boders gathered that he had been accused of stealing N21 billion during his lifetime, while another report said he died in a UK hospital from an undisclosed illness.
While alive, Otunla faced legal troubles with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was involved in cases concerning the alleged diversion of N24 billion meant for former staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and N2 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). He had refunded several billion naira to the Federal Government.
Otunla also served on the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He attended Baptist High School in Saki, obtaining his West African School Certificate in 1972.
He then earned a bachelor’s degree in Financial Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University.
He became a chartered accountant in 1986 and received a fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1998.
Otunla started his career in August 1980 at Unilever as an accountant. In 1989, he joined the Oyo State civil service as Chief Internal Auditor and later became the Director of Finance.
In June 1989, he was appointed Accountant General of Oyo State, a role he held until March 2004 when he moved to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
He was appointed the Accountant General of the Federation by then-President Goodluck Jonathan on June 28, 2011. Otunla retired from the Civil Service on June 12, 2015, upon reaching the age of 60.
