Former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, on Monday declared his intention to represent Bayelsa East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
The district comprises of Ogbia, Nembe and Brass local government areas.
Senator Barigha Amange currently represents the district at the National Assembly. He is seeking re-election.
Murray-Bruce is from Akassa speaking group of Brass Local Government where the senatorial seat has been zoned to.
The showbiz impresario has promised to sponsor bills to tackle poverty in the country if elected.
He said, “I am running for the Senate because I am interested in the laws of our land; I am interested in making change and I am not interested in business as usual.
“I have always been concerned about the poverty of the mind, about women who are not being protected, children who are being raped, men who are paedophiles, a society where there is no order, we must bring order to our society.
“There are too many poor people living under the bridge. Nigeria is too rich for people to be poor and Nigeria is too poor for the super upper class to be so rich. That has to stop.”
He lamented that most wealthy Nigerians were not paying their taxes, insisting that if they were paying their taxes, it would be rare to see an individual having three private jets.
He added, “If they pay their taxes, an individual will not have three private jets and the poor man on the street will have a chance to make a living. There is no way I will be a happy seeing my children go to private school and my staff do not have their children at school and cannot eat three meals a day.
“This society will explode and implode, there will be violence, there will be mayhem, unless politicians start thinking rationally.”
Murray-Bruce is renowned for creating the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) and organising a number of successful concerts which saw artistes like Shalamar, Evelyn Champagne King and Kool and the Gang come to Nigeria.
He is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Silverbird Group – operators of Silverbird Television and Rhythm FM.
