Benedict Murray-Bruce (born 18 February 1956) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He is the founder of Silverbird Group. A member of the People's Democratic Party, he was elected to the

Senate of Nigeria The Senate is the upper house, upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly (Nigeria), National Assembly. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's legislature and has the power to make ...

in March 2015 where he represented the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, in

Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...

, Nigeria.

Early life and education

Ben Murray-Bruce was born in Lagos, to

mixed race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

Ijaw Ijaw may refer to: *Ijaw people The Ijaw people, also known as the Izon people, are an ethnic group found in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, with primary Population, population clusters in Bayelsa State, Bayelsa, Delta State, Delta, and River ...

parents Mullighan and Margaret Murray-Bruce who both hail from Akassa,

, Nigeria. His surname is of Scottish origin. He attended Our Lady of Apostles, Yaba, Lagos, where he completed his primary education and St Gregory College, Obalende where he obtained the West African School Certificate before he proceeded to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree in

Marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

in 1979.

Personal life

Ben Murray-Bruce was married to Evelyn Murray-Bruce for 41 years. On 20 March 2021, he announced her passing after battling with cancer.

Career

Early beginnings

Ben has served in various public positions. He served as Director-General of

Nigerian Television Authority The Nigerian Television Authority or NTA is a Nigerian government-owned and partly commercial broadcast station. Originally known as Nigerian Television (NTV), it was inaugurated in 1977 with a monopoly on national television broadcasting, after ...

from 1999 to 2003. Prior to starting Silverbird Group, he promoted the Miss Universe Nigeria Pageant in 1983
Miss Intercontinental Pageant
1986-1994 and to date, he promotes the annual Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Pageant which he began in 1986. He is currently a Member of the Board of National Arts Theatre, Nigerian Film Corporation, Federal Films Censors Board, National Film Distribution Company and Nigerian Anti- Piracy Action Committee.

Show business

In an interview with ''Connect Nigeria'', Ben said he got into show business "by accident". His passion for show business made he and his wife establish the now defunct ''Silverbird Magazine'' in 1980 with a loan from his father. Ben later went into promoting concerts.

Politics

In 2011, Ben Murray-Bruce ran for the governorship of Bayelsa State which was unsuccessful after he was screened out of the gubernatorial race under the umbrella of the People's Democratic Party. On 27 October 2014, Ben later declared his intention to represent Bayelsa East Senatorial District at the National Assembly under the umbrella of the People's Democratic Party which he went on to win.

Public speaking

Bruce has spoken at a number of national and international events, in January 2018 he shared the stage alongside politicians and thought leaders at the inaugural ''Nigerian American Business Forum'' in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, figures such as; senator Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi, Media pioneer Biodun Shobanjo, NSE chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo, motivational speaker Fela Durotoye, former governor Peter Obi and Award-winning technologist Ade Olufeko.

Awards and recognition

*"Showbiz Icon of the Year Award" (2005) *""Top Ten" Significant Nigerian Businessmen Award" (2006) *"Life Achiever Award" (2006) *"Champion for Nation Building Award" (2007) *"Excellent Personality Award" (2009) *"Officer of the Order of the Niger" (2014)

References

External links

Ben Murray-Bruce's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray-Bruce, Ben Living people 1956 births Nigerian television journalists University of South Carolina alumni Nigerian television company founders Businesspeople from Lagos 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople Ijaw people St Gregory's College, Lagos alumni Peoples Democratic Party members of the Senate (Nigeria) * Beauty pageant owners Nigerian government officials Officers of the Order of the Niger Members of the Senate (Nigeria) from Bayelsa State Senators of the 8th National Assembly (Nigeria)