By Abiodun Alade

35-year-old Moses Siloko Siasia is the Chairman of Mosilo Group, a multi-billion naira business empire, with  investments in engineering, real estate, oil and gas, agro processing and project management. The group is wholly indigenous company with strategic partnership with some of the world’s leading technical companies. Mosilo Group has employed a critical mass of young people and continues to up the ante in human capacity development locally.

Moses Siasia

In 2014, Siasia was among leading African business men listed by Choiseul Institute for International Politics and Geo-economics in its ranking of the top 200 young economic leaders of Africa.

Siasia is aiming to lead his state, Bayelsa, to prosperity as disclosed in this interview.

Background

I saw poverty but I told myself  I wasn’t going to give myself to crime. I lived in an environment where we had no food, no toilet. I almost lost my life but God intervened.

I looked after myself. 17 years ago, I was in the streets of Port Harcourt hawking oranges and selling Ice block  but, at that time, I told myself  I wasn’t going to be subservient to my situation; I  was going to work hard because I believed  there is a deposit of potentials in me. And that was how I started from that humble background- I washed rugs, planted  flowers. Today, the story is different. I have built a business of a group of companies, we have interest in various sectors, and I have employed many persons, mostly youths. Mosilo Group is a leading name in energy services, real estate, agriculture, marine services among others.

We started what is called the Nigeria Young Professional Group and, in two years, we are in 15 countries; we are the only youth group in Nigeria that is registered in the United States of America and United Kingdom and we are about finalising our registrations with the United Nations.

I founded the group to give voice to the youths. Some of the elite are not interested in the youth. They would not give the younger generation the chance to lead. They would continue to come up with strategies that would further undermine us and ensure that the youths do not speak with one voice.

The state of Bayelsa

Bayelsa is less than one million people in population and, from 1999 till date, we have received over two trillion Naira but the state is in a sorry situation because there is no concrete work on ground. Our educational system is in a state of decay, our women do not have that sense of belonging again because they cannot sell. Our people cannot fish because of oil spillage. The leadership has not been fair to our people.

Do you know that there are a good number of Bayelsa students abroad who are stranded and cannot pay their fees? They are frustrated. The females are into prostitution and government keeps saying there is no money, but when the money comes, they share it among themselves, it doesn’t trickle down to the people.

Government is the major employer of labour in Bayelsa because there is no critical investment to employ the masses, yet, successive governments have placed embargo on employment. Now, you need a leader that can think outside the box, a leader that is innovative and creative to bring about the investment required in Bayelsa.

I have been in the private sector, I have partners and I have the will to do that. You cannot give what you do not have. I have employed people. I have grown a business from the scratch to where it is today and I have helped people in my community.

I have people who have not paid for education for two years, all their needs are on my bill. I have eight children in my community studying abroad on my sponsorship. Let all those who have ruled Bayelsa come out and tell the world what they were able to achieve before they got to government.

Youths

The lowest funded ministry in the history of democracy in Nigeria is the ministry of youth  development. Meanwhile, we gave them the mandate. When I was younger, I used to see government development craft centres, skill acquisition centres, sport development institutions, but they are no more today. The level of our education sector is poor and puts the future of the state in jeopardy. When you canvass for the inclusion of young people in governance, they would say what level of experience do you have? So we have found ourselves in a state of dashed hope.

I have so much belief in the younger generation; that is why I am offering myself to liberate my people from the suffering and hardship that they are going through. This is the first time in Nigeria democracy that someone of my age group would come out for a position like this. When elected as governor, a position will make me a member of the Council of State, I am going to represent the interest of the youth. This is my will and I will never disappoint the people.

We must put an end to political imposition and create a sustainable future for our people. My heart bleeds whenever I am asked  ‘where are you from?’  Sometimes my friends say they want to come to my state and I wonder what they would see there. Meanwhile, Bayelsa has a huge tourism potential. We have 75 per cent of Nigeria’s gas reserve.

I am not going to the State House to rule but to serve my people. If I have been able to achieve what I have achieved in the private sector, then I can bring the much needed development when in the public sector to our people.

Getting the support of the elders

There are some elders that are positive minded, while some wouldn’t love to let go because that is where they get their pay from but we must convince them that it is time to uplift the living standard of our people. I will appeal to them and I believe that God will give us the grace to champion this cause to the next level.

Debt management

If you do not take up the challenge you will continue to allow people to accumulate debt in the state. My will is to put a stop to the act of borrowing by the government. We must create investments that would boost the state’s internal generated revenue. The state’s monthly IGR is currently less than one billion. We are going to diversify the economy and face sectors like tourism and agriculture.   I would increase investment and create environment to attract investors by making it a destination for investors and tourists.

Bayelsa is where oil was first discovered in Nigeria, we would create a museum, a city out of Oloibiri. We will also create a beach in Akassa for relaxation and fun. The environment in Akassa in Bayelsa is better than Miami in the USA; my government will create the serenity to make it a destination. If you sit in Brass at night, you can see Guinea; Bayelsa is central to the Gulf of Guinea, you can get to Equatorial Guinea under one hour by boat from Brass. Hence, we can build partnership, build sea port.  We can use the opportunities to create wealth for the people.

I am not going to run a debt owing state, there won’t be need to borrow to execute any project, some of my partners are currently supporting some states in building infrastructures, and we would also team up with them to invest in Bayelsa. There a lot of my partners who are looking for real business environment to invest, we can create that. The current administration created Bayelsa Development Centres in the United Kingdom and South Africa but not too much investment have come to the state through this means.

In one year, we can bring about 500 companies to Bayelsa, we can create massive employment under one year, in fact about 50,000 jobs, viable jobs, not   street sweeping jobs; we are going to create jobs that will give security. Wealth to me is not about how much I have in my account but how many lives I have been able to touch.

Bayelsa should key into the ocean economy, a strategic framework on how to create massive employment using the waterways, a country like Netherlands is using that. It will not only create jobs for many but also generate revenue for government.

My businesses are not in debt. You must take loan to do massive projects, not pay salary or buy luxury items for government officials. The strategy we have used to run our businesses is to build partnership and that would be adopted too. A state is not so different from running a business. Some state governors were able to leave office with good reserves and without debt. What stops Bayelsa from doing same?

What we have is enough to sustain the state. For instance, many investors have it in their business plan that they are going to get gas from Bayelsa, and this makes the state strategic; we are going to build investment around this with the support of the Federal Government to ensure that we create massive wealth for our people. Our aim is to transform Bayelsa to a point that everyone would become proud of it.

Militancy

I do not see them as militants; rather, I see some of them as professionals. For example, on the high seas someone uses speed boat to kidnap somebody and still uses the boat to escape with his victim; this requires some technicality to do. We would ensure that they channel their energy into productive venture. We would show them the light to enable them use their potentials rightly and this will further strengthen the state. That is human capacity development.

Infrastructure and security for investors

We would use Bayelsa as example for modern facilities in the country – facilities that will ensure greater investment and be a delight to investors. There would be access to internet from any where you are in addition to good road network among others. There are companies that are willing to come and do this and thankfully people are beginning to key into this.

On security, I believe that once the people have a sense of belonging, the state becomes secured; this strategy was used in Bonny and it is working.

Chances against heavyweights

It is not about me, it is not Moses Siasia; it is a movement. The people’s will is more important in politics; this was evident in the general elections. Power is going back to the people and this will happen in Bayelsa too.

Godfatherism

People’s perception of godfatherism in politics really worries me. I understand that there is need to get  the support of the heavyweights. I will consult the former president. I know he is open to the voice of the youth as seen in his works while in office and this is the time for him to show again that he believes in the youth.

Ethnicity and zoning formula

I strongly believe in professionalism; so I don’t discuss ethnicity and zoning formula. The incumbent governor is from my part of the state; he will use four years and I will also use four years. The choice is there for the people to make and they would make it rightly. I believe  we do not have to buy votes because the people are wiser  now.