Ohakim said: “It is said in our native parlance that there is never a good time to die but the news over the passage of our big brother, Mr. Pascal Dozie, came to me with a big shock.”
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, said on Wednesday that he was ‘devastated’ by the death of founder of the defunct Diamond Bank, Pascal Dozie.
The 85-year-old boardroom tycoon died at age 85 in the early hours of Tuesday, his family said.
Dozie’s business acumen earned him top roles in large corporations including as chairman of MTN Group.
In a statement made available to TheNiche, Ohakim said he was shocked by the news of Dozie’s death.
“It is said in our native parlance that there is never a good time to die but the news over the passage of our big brother, Mr. Pascal Dozie, came to me with a big shock,” the ex-governor wrote.
“I am devastated by the death because even at the age of 85, many of us still looked forward to his continued contribution to the good of our country.
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“Our paths first crossed several years ago when I was the Imo State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry and his consulting firm won the contract to conduct a survey on raw materials deposits in all the communities in the state and the likely industries they could be used in setting up by the state government. He performed that assignment creditably well and my admiration of him grew exponentially from that time.”
Ohakim said their paths crossed again when he was a director at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited and Dozie’s Diamond Bank approached the organisation for a banking relationship. According to him, the request was granted and their relationship remained cordial until Dozie’s death.
“Those of us who are surviving him will do his memory no greater honor than to uphold the ideals of humility, honesty and hard work which he lived for. My family and I join millions of other Nigerians in condoling his own family and in praying to God Almighty to grant him eternal rest,” he added.
