Ben Murray Bruce kind of orientation

                   Senator Ben Murray Bruce

Senator Ben Murray Bruce is one man I have not met in my entire life, but heard about him for the first time in 1999 when he was made the DG,  Nigeria Television Authority NTA by Olusegun Obasanjo.

The period between1999 and 2003 was a very a critical period for the NTA as the station with the widest reach was practically waiting for the government to announce its demise.

However, hope was again rekindled for the teaming viewers of the station that says 'you can't beat the reach when Ben took charge.

One of the landmark achievement of Ben then, was the commissioning of Aduwawa station in Benin by Stella Obansajo and several other mini stations across the country.

With the commissioning of the stations, life was again injected into the ailing media giant, The NTA.

Ben, with his kind of orientation was able to JumpStart the giant in the NTA and once again restored hope in the viewers.

Whatever the state of those stations now is a discussion for another day.

In 2011, Ben contested as governor of Bayelsa state but failed and many people especially my friends in the Niger-Delta mocked me for even harbouring a thought that Ben will win. " Does he think politics was beauty pageant or entertainment or cinema where you sit down, cross your legs and take popcorn? Some of them asked.

Loaded with the never-give- up spirit, Ben contested again in 2015 as senator representing Bayelsa East and won.

Some of my friends in Lagos immediately started jubilating the moment the results were announced. But as expected, some argued that Ben will only go the senate to 'blow grammar'. Arguing that "making law is not the same as making commonsense videos".

One year after, Ben has been able to change, if not anything else but the orientation of other senators who now preach #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira which originally was the invention of Ben.

For his unique kind of orientation, Ben now enjoys uninterrupted audience in the floor of the senate not because he is used to talking but because he has a different orientation of how we can get better as a nation.

Ben believes it is more profitable in the long run giving young Nigerians a platform to create wealth rather than helping them become perpetually dependent on government for survival.

For his unique kind of orientation, I won't be surprised if Ben becomes the president of Nigeria someday.

Joshua Okungbowa is a news and investigative blogger at Alidiakenews
Contact me on 08103672538(SMS) only
Email: alidiakenews@gmail.com