Olumide Akinpelumi takes the helm at EVA Professionals

EVA Professionals has appointed Olumide Akinpelumi as its managing partner, placing a tax and global trade specialist with more than a decade of experience across professional advisory, regulatory compliance and public-sector policy work at the helm of the firm. Akinpelumi’s career has taken him across areas that are becoming increasingly important to businesses operating in Nigeria, from indirect taxation and customs to trade policy and regulatory compliance.

Before joining EVA Professionals, he served as a director in the Indirect Tax and Global Trade sub-service line of a Big Four accounting firm in Nigeria. His work covered indirect tax compliance and advisory, global trade advisory, tax structuring and planning, and issues relating to customs and tariff management. His experience also extends into public-sector policy. Akinpelumi has supported the Federal Government on tax implementation initiatives, including work connected with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

That combination of private-sector advisory and public-sector experience has given him exposure to both sides of the regulatory relationship: businesses seeking to manage their tax and trade obligations and government institutions implementing policy. For companies, the distinction is increasingly important as changes in tax, customs and trade rules can affect costs, investment decisions, supply chains and market access.

Akinpelumi has also spent more than a decade as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, giving him a long-running connection to discussions around Nigeria’s tax and fiscal framework. His professional work has covered several industries, including real estate, construction and property development, alongside engagements with public- and private-sector organisations on complex tax and regulatory matters.

His career has also included a strong education component. He has lectured for more than a decade through professional institutions, including ICAN and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), contributing to the training and development of accounting and tax professionals. Akinpelumi holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and is a Fellow of ICAN. He also has interests in entrepreneurship across several sectors.

At EVA Professionals, his immediate role will involve providing strategic leadership as the firm develops its advisory business and responds to the changing requirements facing companies navigating Nigeria’s tax, regulatory and trade environment. The appointment therefore brings together three strands of his career, professional advisory, public policy and professional education, as EVA Professionals seeks to strengthen its capacity in areas where regulatory changes increasingly have direct commercial consequences for businesses.

Oluwatobi Ojabello, PhD, is a dynamic and multi-dimensional Assistant Editor for Economy and Markets with over two years of professional journalism experience. He delivers authoritative, data-driven coverage of fiscal policy, financial institutions and capital markets, using clear analysis to explain Nigeria’s most complex economic developments. His work focuses on macroeconomic policy, financial stability and corporate performance, turning technical issues into accessible narratives that inform both experts and everyday readers.