Nigeria has lost one of its financial pioneers. Pascal Gabriel Dozie, the visionary entrepreneur who founded the once trailblazing Diamond Bank Plc and served as former chairman of MTN Nigeria, has passed away. He was 85.
According to close family sources, Dozie died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, 2025—just a day shy of his 86th birthday—after a quiet battle with age-related illness.
A symbol of innovation and resilience, Dozie built Diamond Bank from the ground up in an era when banking was a privilege for the few. Under his leadership, the bank became a people-first institution, known for redefining customer service and inclusive banking. The bank later merged with Access Bank, but Dozie’s legacy of integrity and excellence still echoes in Nigeria’s financial sector.
He eventually passed the torch to his son, Uzoma Dozie, who continued the family legacy of tech-forward, customer-centric banking.
Pascal Dozie wasn’t just a banker—he was a mentor, a nation builder, and a quiet force behind some of Nigeria’s major economic shifts. His legacy lives on in the institutions he built and the many lives he touched.
More details to follow as tributes pour in.
