"How I Lost My Concert Business to the 1983 Coup" — Ben Murray-Bruce

Ben Murray-Bruce (Former Member of the Nigerian Senate)

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, the founder of Silverbird Group, has shared how the 1983 military coup ruined his early concert business.

 Speaking at an entrepreneurship event in Abuja, he explained that he started the venture with a ₦20,000 loan from his siblings and saw great success between 1980 and 1983. 

However, when the military overthrew President Shehu Shagari’s government, the resulting chaos across the country forced his business to close down. 

He noted that it was already a difficult time to work in entertainment due to a lack of proper buildings and support, but the coup was the final blow that ended his hard work.

“By 1983, the military overthrew the government of Shehu Shagari. Once Shagari was overthrown, all hell broke loose. In those days, when a coup d’état occurred, the first thing they did was to cut off your phone. That was how they ruined my concert business,” he said.

He also mentioned that the chaos following the coup made the economy much worse. Problems with foreign exchange and rising prices made it nearly impossible to keep running concerts profitably. 

As costs went up, ticket prices had to be raised sharply, which meant fewer people could afford to attend. This drop in ticket sales led to even bigger losses for the business.

“My ticket rates when I started were N5 to N10. In 1983, my last show was N15 to N20, and I lost 25 per cent of my audience. That was how my concert promotion died,” he said.

Murray-Bruce noted that promoting shows back then was tough because there were so few ways to reach people. Nigeria only had one TV station (NTA), one radio station (FRCN), and a few newspapers. He added that the lack of modern venues, other than the National Theatre in Lagos, made it even harder for the industry to grow.

Despite these hurdles, he managed to organise around 20 concerts. Remarkably, he only lost money on one of them, even though the business eventually folded because of the coup.

At the same event, Dr Onuoha Nnachi of Deutsche Partners Holding praised Murray-Bruce as a resilient mentor. Dr Nnachi pointed out that getting business funding is mostly about trust; lenders care more about whether a project will be profitable than just being kind.

Former Governor Boni Haruna also spoke, urging young people not to give up on their dreams despite Nigeria's tough economy. He acknowledged how hard things are right now but encouraged new business owners to stay focused on their long-term goals.

Closing his remarks, Murray-Bruce told the young entrepreneurs to stay strong, be persistent, and always read their contracts carefully before making big decisions.