- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has mourned the demise of Diamond Bank founder and pioneer Chairman of MTN Nigeria, Pascal Dozie.
NPO Reported the passing of the Imo-born entrepreneur.
As confirmed in a family statement, Dozie died in the early hours of Tuesday at the age of 85.
Expressing his condolences over the death of the octogenarian, Tinubu described the mate Dozie as a visionary whose contributions to Nigeria’s economic architecture left an enduring legacy.
The President, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, lauded Dozie’s role in shaping the financial services industry and expanding access to mobile connectivity nationwide.
He described the late Diamond Bank founder who also served as a former Central Bank of Nigeria’s Director and President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, as a rare breed business leader whose wisdom, humility, and pioneering efforts laid a foundation upon which many continue to build.
Tinubu said his death is a profound loss to the private sector while calling on the sector to honour his memory by upholding the values of integrity, innovation, and nation-building, for which he was renowned.
The statement read in part; “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu extends his heartfelt condolences to the Dozie family, the business community, and all Nigerians on the passing of Chief (Dr.) Pascal Gabriel Dozie, an elder statesman, entrepreneur, and banker.
“He was 85.
Chief Pascal Dozie, OON, was a visionary whose contributions to Nigeria’s economic architecture left an enduring legacy.
“As the founder of Diamond Bank and the pioneer Chairman of MTN Nigeria, he was at the forefront of two of the most transformative sectors in Nigeria’s development journey: banking and telecommunications.
“Chief Dozie, a steadfast believer in Nigeria’s vast potential, was pivotal in shaping the financial services industry and expanding access to mobile connectivity nationwide. His influential leadership extended well beyond corporate boardrooms.
“In addition to his business acumen, Chief Dozie served as a former director at the Central Bank of Nigeria, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, dedicating decades of service to national policy formulation, private sector development, and youth empowerment.
“President Tinubu lauds Chief Dozie as “a rare breed business leader whose wisdom, humility, and pioneering efforts laid a foundation upon which many continue to build. His passing is a profound loss to the private sector and Nigeria.”
“The President prays for the peaceful repose of Chief Dozie’s soul and extends his condolences to his wife, children, and extended family.
“He calls upon 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.”