Lessons for life

Aside from natural ability, what sort of gifts does a young boy need to achieve this? ‘Coming from a family of educators, I was socialised to understand that improving life outcomes was through the path of education,’ he says.

Ako’s father was in the Education Corps of the Nigerian Army. His grandfather was a principal in the village elementary school, and his mother was a teacher. Growing up, the family traveled around the country, he explains, which provided an education of another form. ‘Because my dad was in the army, I got exposed to different cultures, and people of different beliefs and values.’

After graduating university with a physics degree, Ako entered the world of investment banking. ‘The banks liked hiring the quant types – people with degrees in maths or physics. I got into currency trading, financial analysis and corporate finance, which involved preparing public companies to issue new shares or additional shares after they listed.’

Canada bound

Ako remained in the banking sector until 2000 when he emigrated to Canada. ‘At the time, Nigeria was governed primarily by the military and, as a young man, I got disillusioned,’ he says. ‘I felt I could take my talents internationally and Canada had an incredible permanent residency programme, so I applied and got selected.’

However, despite his degree and seven years of work experience, entering the job market in Canada didn’t prove that easy. ‘After I arrived, I did all sorts of survival jobs,’ he says. ‘I was still only 26 and a degree from Nigeria wasn’t widely recognised.’

Going back to school to seek Canadian credentials was an easy decision, he says, but he also wanted an internationally recognised credential. ‘This is why ACCA was attractive to me. I’ve always seen myself as a global citizen and it allowed me to position myself as global talent.’

Ako went on to obtain both CPA and ACCA designations. By 2017 he had completed a PhD in accounting and by 2022 had proved himself on both the Canadian and international stages as a CFO, COO, university professor and as deputy minister of immigration and multiculturalism for the province of Alberta.

His role as deputy minister drew heavily on his academic research, his accounting expertise and his personal career journey in Canada. ‘One of the things that we as a country are facing here in Canada is declining productivity,’ he says, ‘and we can help address that by ensuring newcomers can work in the roles for which they’ve been trained.’

Social accountant

As an immigrant himself and an academic, he explains, ‘it’s been a passion of mine for a really long time. I’m now responsible for policy and programming on the same issue and consider myself a “social accountant”.’

He adds: ‘When you look at financial statements, it’s all numbers. But if you’re in government, on the other end of those numbers are people. My job is to ensure that the people at the other end of public policy get the best outcomes and that involves evidence-based decision making. I’m able to provide the oversight that I do because, as an accountant, I have that level of technical knowledge.’

Ako is also actively involved in community service, serving on various boards, including the Provincial Audit Committee for Alberta and the Senate of the University of Calgary. He also founded the John Ware Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing diversity in corporate boardrooms.

In 2022, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. In 2024, he was honoured with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Established Leader Award, and in 2025 was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Aside from receiving recognition of his accomplishments, Ako says he’s most proud of his four children. Carrying on the family tradition of scholastic achievement, he says: ‘My sons are getting grades in the 90s, and my daughter has already skipped a grade.’