Festus Uzoma Mbisiogu: A Trajectory of Resilience at 50 

Businessman, author, humanist, philanthropist and patriot, Festus Uzoma Mbisiogu is a man who has risen from the abyss of privation to commanding heights of private enterprise and social engineering.

A staunch believer in the mantra education as a potent tool for social reconstruction, financial empowerment and self actualisation, Mbisiogu is the brain behind the Blue Diamond Group that has interests in Shipping, Freight Forwarding, Custom cleaning and merchandising, amongst others with operations in China, Dubai, Holland, Nigeria and several other countries. Born April 15, 1973, without the proverbial silver spoon, Mbisiogu’s life remains the classical grass-to-grace story. As he turns 50 he takes us on a journey of his early days, challenges as he rises on the ladder of success, breakthroughs, life lessons and much more. Tosin Clegg brings excerpts 

What does it feels like to be fifty?
I know one or two of my friends that had one illness or the other who are no longer alive and when I look at few of my friends that are left and some of them it’s the way God wants it but if I’m privileged to clock 50 which is a golden jubilee. I think I should appreciate God for that. I am super excited. I am excited because looking back at what I have passed through in life. I can’t believe that I can be alive today because there was a time, I was admitted in the hospital, from a private hospital to LUTH. And in these hospitals I was taken to the emergency wards. That was in year 2006 and at that time, I felt the lord was about to take me. I am happy that the Lord saved me from that sickness. That was 17 years ago and I am alive today. I am also happy that God brought me this far. 

There are so many things to be thankful for. Can you share some of them? 

 Let me start from my upbringing in life as  I am from a very poor family, the poorest family from Umechuma, Ideato South LG. When I left the village for Lagos, we had four rooms. Out of those 4 rooms, my mum borrowed money from the group she belongs to and put up two rooms. My parents stayed in one room and I with my siblings stayed in another. As at the time I left the village to Lagos a lot was happening back at home but today the Lord has been so kind that the boy that lived in that condition has so much now.

 There was someone called Sunday who was the one who brought me from the village to Lagos to serve Josiah Okenonu who I stayed with and served for 7 years. And to the Glory of God I served him faithfully during that time and he was so happy. When he was about to settle me, he called the whole community and rained Blessings on me. 

He killed a cow to celebrate my freedom and enumerated the blessings he acquired through me. After this he gave me 50,000 Naira which I started with at Tejuosho Market and when I started there is something I decided within myself that since I came from a very poor family that if I must survive I must have policies guiding me which I deployed through my relationship with God and this sharpened my life.

My life was exceptional so people began to identify with me. Some people started giving me goods on credits while some raised money for me. But when I started having problems in my business and I decided to move to Dubai to search for greener pastures but first I went to Antigua where I was duped but my first time going to Dubai I was deported. 

Tried the second time and I got deported but with all these I did not give up but my mum, a religious woman invited me back home and I went. My parents went to their farm and got yams for me to sell of which we got 30,000 Naira and I took the money to Lagos. Some of the guys still found favour in me and asked me what I saw in Dubai of which I shared with them and we formed a partnership where we partnered.

 Then during my trip I met a man, Azeez who wanted to do business with me and he gave me credit for three months which was 2000 dollars of which I paid back and another 5000 dollars which I paid back in a month and half also after then he increased it to 40,000 dollars. Not too long after he opened his warehouse for me to be dealing since I had built trust and integrity. There is a book I’m writing now called, Integrity the greatest asset. 

Along the line my mother I loved so much felt sick. And she had to do a surgery and I spent almost all the money I had because I love that woman too much. She called me Uzowanne among all the kids she believed this son of hers would go far in life. She was always pampering me and if death was coming my mum would like to present herself in other to save me. So all she does for me still rings in my memory so I spent all the money I had. We tried everything we could be but we eventually lost her.

 But I learnt a few things from her as we live in a community where they cultivate yam and my mum will use a lorry called 911 to carry yams and share to the villagers. So, I copied that from my mum, giving out bags of rice. Also an encounter with a Reverend father who I visited in Ideato South also spurred me to do more. There I saw two women angry, raining curses and shouting, he explained that they didn’t get the two derica of rice he shared. That was my inspiration from 2009, I started sharing between 100 to 300 bags of rice every year regardless of how challenging it became or the price of rice as at that time. I dropped out in year two while I was in secondary school.Which was when I was asked to come to Lagos. I came from a very port family and I set up a target having a script for myself for what I want to become. Something happened that my wife was shocked after she stumbled into my wardrobe and saw my diary where I listed several things and does things I listed only which I listed to be done from 45-50 years of age.
 My wife started crying when she realis

ed all I had achieved before 40 as I listed them with years in which I wanted to get them done. After itemising them I now asked myself what would be the impediment to not make me achieve this goal in life and since I didn’t finish my secondary school I decided to go back to school. I knew it was something I had to go back to to succeed. 
Later on after many years, I took JAMB , got admission at University of Lagos and studied Business Administration. There I also started planning to relocate my business to China. One of my target is that between 33 to 35 years, I would own my business abroad. In all these nobody helped me become without God using them as an instrument.
While I was in China I was more vocal from Jonathan, Okonji Iweala, Peter Obi all of them know Festus as a vocal person. Anywhere that there is government function if the hotel is 1000 dollars and government is there, that’s where you would see me as I want to mingle with these people.
 That’s how I became so close to them and I started organising forums and the biggest one I did I had 24 governors in attendance.