By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Senator Benedict Murray-Bruce, famously known as Ben Murray-Bruce, or the “Common Sense Senator,” is a businessman, politician, activist, and author.
He was born on February 18, 1956, in Warri, Delta State, to Mullighan and Margaret Murray-Bruce, both indigenes of Akassa. Bayelsa state
Ben Bruce is the Chairman and Founder of Silverbird Group. He has also served as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He is known to be one of the most influential promoters of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria(MBFN) beauty pageant.
Education
Ben attended Our Lady of Apostles, Yaba, Lagos, for his elementary education before heading to St. Gregory College in Obalende, where he had his secondary education before graduating in 1952.
Later, he proceeded to bag a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business from the University of Southern Carolina in 1963.
Career
Ben has worked in both the public and private sectors throughout his career.
Ben started as a promoter of pageantry and programme syndication in a small corner of his father’s Domino departmental store with six staff.
Before Ben ventured into the pageant business, it was formerly managed by the Daily Times of Nigeria. The pageant at that time recorded low sponsorship, making it lose its charm and fascination.
In 1983, he was one of the top promoters of the Miss Universe Nigeria Pageant. A feat Ben repeated in the Miss Intercontinental Pageant in 1985-1994.
He is also a proud promoter of the annual Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant.
His efforts in promoting the beauty pageants have seen the emergence of Bianca Onuh, Omasan Buwa, and Agbani Darego, who won the Miss World beauty pageant in 2001.
Ben also served as the Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority from 1999 to 2003.
He served as the Executive Director of the Black Music Association of America.
He is also a board member of National Arts Theater Management, the Nigerian Film Corporation, the Federal Films Censors Board, and the Nigerian Anti-Piracy Action Committee.
Currently, he serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Silverbird Group, which holds considerable franchises in the showbiz and infotainment industries, including Silverbird Television, Rhythm FM, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageants, and Silver Film Distribution.
In 2011, Ben decided to venture into partisan politics by declaring his intention to contest the Bayelsa State gubernatorial under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He was screened out of the race by the political party.
He made another move in 2015 to represent Bayelsa East Senatorial District at the National House of Assembly.
While at the Senate, Ben initiated the “common sense” campaign, where he gave nuggets in short video clips. This recorded success with its presence all over the internet.
Also, as a member of the Senate, Ben proposed a bill to phase out petrol-powered cars before 2035, replacing them with electric ones. The Senate, however, opposed the bill.
Senator Ben has been seen on several occasions flaunting his electric cars.
In 2019, Ben withdrew from his reelection race into the Senate.
Marriage
Senator Ben was married to Evelyn Murray, who passed on after battling cancer in 2021
The union is blessed with four children:
- Cody Murray-Bruce
- Jonathan Murray-Bruce
- Jasmine Murray-Bruce
- Jared Murray-Bruce
Net worth
Senator ben reportedly owns a $5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, USA.
In 2021, Ben showed off his Lucid electric, which is worth about $100,000
Later, In 2021, Ben Murray-Bruce announced that his company, Silverbird Group, had signed a $50 million deal with AAA Entertainment.
The Common Sense Senator is reportedly valued at an estimated net worth of 2.1billion naira. However, NewsWireNGR cannot independently confirm this at the moment.
Achievements
Ben Murray-Bruce has won numerous awards throughout his meritorious career. In 2014, he was conferred the Officer of Order of the Niger award.
Some of his awards include:
- Showbiz Icon of the Year Award
- Top Ten” Significant Nigerian Businessmen Award
- Life Achiever Award
- Champion for Nation Building Award
- Excellent Personality Award
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce is also a renowned philanthropist who has provided scholarships for over 180 students to study at various universities through his foundation, Ben Bruce Foundation.
Through his foundation, he has also initiated a series of other charity activities, like providing relief items to the needy.
Controversy
In 2016, some assets belonging to Senator Ben were taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) for borrowing funds from Union Bank and defaulting on the repayment obligations.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. All details cannot be independently verified by NewsWireNGR or its editorial team.
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