Pascal Dozie, the prominent Nigerian businessman who founded Diamond Bank and served as the pioneering chairman of MTN Nigeria, has died at the age of 85.
His family announced his passing in the early hours of Tuesday, expressing “deep sorrow, but with gratitude to God for a life well spent.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also extended his condolences to the Dozie family, the business community, and the nation. In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described Pascal Dozie as an “elder statesman, entrepreneur and banker.”
The President lauded Mr. Dozie as “a rare breed business leader whose wisdom, humility, and pioneering efforts laid a foundation upon which many continue to build.” He acknowledged Mr. Dozie’s “enduring legacy” and his pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s financial services industry and expanding mobile connectivity nationwide.
“Chief Pascal Dozie, OON, was a visionary whose contributions to Nigeria’s economic architecture left an enduring legacy,” President Tinubu said, noting his role as the founder of Diamond Bank and pioneer chairman of MTN Nigeria.
The President highlighted Mr. Dozie’s broader contributions to national development, including his service as a former director at the Central Bank of Nigeria, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
President Tinubu said Mr. Dozie’s passing was “a profound loss to the private sector and Nigeria,” and prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul. He called on the Nigerian private sector to “honour Chief Dozie’s memory by upholding the values of integrity, innovation, and nation-building, for which he was renowned.”
Born on April 9, 1939, in Egbu, Owerri, in Nigeria’s Imo State, Mr. Dozie excelled academically, earning degrees from the London School of Economics and City University in London.
He played a crucial role in establishing Diamond Bank as a leading financial institution and in launching MTN Nigeria, contributing significantly to the country’s telecommunications revolution. His leadership style, marked by humility and a long-term vision, earned him the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Pascal Dozie is survived by his wife, Chinyere, their five children, and grandchildren. The family has expressed gratitude for his life and legacy.
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