By Femi Anamelechi
A doyen of the Banking industry and founder of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Pascal Dozie has fallen to the cold hands of Death at the age of 85 years. Paschal Dozie, a distinguished industrialist and Frontline banker in Nigeria was the founder of Diamond Bank.
Dozie, who was the former chairman of MTN Nigeria died at 85 from an undisclosed ailment; a source close to the family confirmed. Recall that Dozie lost Diamond Bank to Access Bank’s acquisition after the bank ran into troubled waters under the leadership of his son, Uzoma Dozie. With a net worth of over $1 billion, the banking wizard is among the top billionaires in Nigeria as of the 2024 ranking. Paschal Dozie was born in 1939 in the Egbu village of Owerri, in present South East of Nigeria. He was born into the family of Charles Dozie who was a catechist in the Catholic Church.
Dozie attended Our Lady’s School, Emekuku, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). He subsequently attended Holy Ghost Juniorate Seminary and Holy Ghost College, Owerri, where he obtained his West African Senior School Certificate Examination. After obtaining his high school certificate, he travelled to London, where he studied economics at the London School of Economics and obtained a BSc in economics. Subsequently, he attended City University in London, where he studied operational research and industrial engineering and obtained a master’s degree in administrative science. Paschal Dozie was a loving family man; until the time of his death, he was married to Chinyere Dozie, and they had five children, among whom is Uzoma Dozie, a former managing director of the defunct Diamond Plc. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
