“We look we have no conscience, we have no conscience. What is the qualification to seek public office? A school certificate. What university teaches us about compassion? We must care about the least of us if we don’t we pay the ultimate price, destruction. We are a poor country; Nigeria is too rich for our people to be so poor” - Ben Murray-Bruce

Benedict Murray-Bruce was born on February 18, 1956 in Lagos to an Ijaw parent Mullighan and Margaret Murray-Bruce from Akassa, Bayelsa State of Nigeria. He attended the famous Our Lady of Apostles, in Yaba, Lagos and St Gregory College in Obalende.
He studied Marketing and Business at the University of Southern Carolina.

Growing up was not a bed of roses. His father was a public servant who worked with the UAC. Ben whose initial dream was to be a professor of history had the opportunity of working in Domino Stores, a departmental store owned by his father. He however decided to do other things. His venture into show business didn’t enjoy the support of his parents. In his words “One time I was dancing and my father saw me dancing. He said, “If I ever catch you dancing, you’ll never use those legs again.” Though his father hated show business, thinking it was a waste of time, but somehow he managed to cope with a son who was bent on making a living out of the business. Even though he hated the business, he enjoyed the attention he was getting being the father to Ben.

Ben got into show business by accident. He recounts “I was at home one day in Los Angeles, USA, and somebody knocked on my door and I said who do you want? He said, he was looking for somebody and I said you are in the wrong house. We got talking and I said what is your name, he told me. And I said what do you do, he said, ‘I’m a teacher’. He was very friendly and so I asked him in. As we talked, I said, ‘if you are a teacher, who do you teach?’ he said Janet Jackson, and I said who else? He said Todd Bridges, Garry Coleman. And I said you mean you are really a teacher? He said yes. Then he asked what do I do? I said, ‘I’m a student of the University of Southern Carolina.

The man told him he was working on a set at that time and invited him over. That was where he met Redd Fox of the Sandford and Sons’ fame, the Jeffersons and others. He ended up meeting a lot of actors and actresses. One day, his friend proposed “Hey, let’s do a show in Nigeria’ and they did their first show and the rest is history.

Silverbird Productions started in 1980 with a borrowed capital of N20, 000.00; a desk in a small corner of the Domino administrative office, six staff and only two business activities, pageant and programme syndication. Today, with hundreds of staff, the company has turned to a conglomerate – three radio stations, Rhythm 93.7 in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt; Silverbird television; the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria; Silverbird Cinema, Silverbird Entertainment and Silverbird Galleria. Silverbird Cinema, the first and only Cinema multi-plex with five screens, has been a huge success and they are holding talks with some State governments in the country to replicate the Lagos success story.

His entry into the pageantry business came at a time when the Miss Nigeria franchise was beginning to lose its glamour, the interest of Nigerians and its sponsor. His brainchild, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant eventually took over the market leadership from the Miss Nigeria, owned and operated by the Daily Times of Nigeria. MBGN produced the likes of Omasan Buwa, Bianca Onoh and Agbani Darego.

Agbani Darego won the Miss World contest and became the first ever Nigerian and African to win the Miss World pageant. Mr. Bruce successfully brought Julia Morley and the whole Miss World show to Nigeria for the 2002 Miss World event slated for Nigeria that year. Religious riots sparks by a newspaper article torpedoed the plan.

Mr. Bruce who is married to Evelyn, an American with two boys and a girl, has served as Executive Director – Black Music Association of America with Quincy Jones, Dick Griffey, Stevie Wonder as well as Executive Director – Coalition for a Free Africa with the late President Samora Machel of Mozambique and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. He was also on the board of National Arts Theatre Management, The Federal Film Censors Board, The Board of the Nigerian Film Corporation, National Film Distribution Company and Nigerian Anti-Piracy Action Committee.

Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, motivational speaker role mode to Nigerian youths is a director of several companies in Nigeria as well as in France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

- source biographyhome
Enjoy the rest of this thought provoking speech below courtesy Silverbird Television’s youtube page

Read more and everything you need to know about BEN MURRAY BRUCE……… HERE

#Opinion……………………………………aftermath of the provoking speech and what a Nigerian; Adekola Omilosi (not his real name he says) thinks;

I watched him speak my mind though but deep into the speech I almost thought he was Martin Luther King Jnr.

Ben Murray Bruce has a dream. Martin Luther King had a dream too.

However, those dreams are the minds of people years before it was spoken by either Martin Luther or Ben Bruce.

Its quite interesting how people really want to make a difference or can we call it a CHANGE but forgotten so soon how they’ve really made the “dream” a mirage since way back only to appear in the future and speak with utmost sincerity and spit fire and venom.

We have leaders today in our midst who talks about Nigeria but can’t manage Volkswagen Nigeria, NTA Nigeria, Nigeria Airways, NEPA, NITEL and many more.

They come on TV today and talk so smoothly like the damage was done today.

The genesis of Nigeria’s poverty started during Shagari’s regime and Buhari being the man he is came in to rescue Nigeria but alas; he was painted as evil.

We went back to our old ways during IBB’s regime and till date yet we want change so easily.

Well, Ben Murray Bruce said it all. But one thing I know is – the guys in government today destroyed Nigeria’s economy since the early 80′s as youths in their 30′s or early 40′s

Today, they are all in their 60′s, 70′s and want to bring about CHANGE with word of mouth.

One day!!!! I will watch on National TV as 3000 of these people will be executed. That will be the start of CHANGE in Nigeria.

Nigeria will rise again. I don’t give a “damn” how!!

Long LIVE the suffering and poor people of Nigeria; the richest Nation in the world.