The 1983 Coup That Destroyed My Concert Business – Ben Murray‑Bruce

By Nnasom David

Senator Ben Murray‑Bruce, the founder of Silverbird Group, revealed that the 1983 military coup that ousted President Shehu Shagari dealt a severe blow to his concert promotion business, ultimately leading to its collapse despite early success.

He made the disclosure on Wednesday at the Infrastructure Dialogue 2026 in Abuja, a two‑day entrepreneurship programme organised by Deutsche Partners Holding.

Murray‑Bruce explained that he had built a growing concert promotion outfit between 1980 and 1983, having started the venture with a ₦20,000 loan borrowed from his siblings.

At the time, the Nigerian entertainment industry was still nascent, with limited infrastructure, few media platforms, and minimal institutional support for such enterprises.

He said the turning point came with the military takeover in 1983, which disrupted business operations nationwide and effectively shut down his entertainment activities.

“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.

Murray‑Bruce added that the instability that followed the coup worsened economic conditions, with foreign‑exchange constraints and rising costs making concert promotion increasingly unviable.

He noted that ticket prices rose sharply during this period, while audience turnout fell significantly, compounding losses.

“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.

The media entrepreneur highlighted that Nigeria then had only a handful of communication and entertainment channels, including a single television station, NTA, one radio station, FRCN, and a few newspapers, which made promotion difficult.

He also mentioned that the lack of modern entertainment venues, apart from the National Theatre in Lagos, limited the sector’s growth.

Despite the eventual collapse, Murray‑Bruce said he organised about 20 concerts during his brief stint in show business and incurred losses on only one of them.

During the event, Dr Onuoha Nnachi, former aide to the late Minister of Information Dora Akunyili and managing partner of Deutsche Partners Holding, praised Murray‑Bruce’s resilience, describing him as a mentor who had contributed significantly to his professional development.

He noted that access to funding in business is largely driven by trust in capacity and returns, with lenders primarily motivated by potential profitability rather than goodwill.

Former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, also spoke, commending the organisers of the dialogue and urging young entrepreneurs not to abandon their ambitions despite Nigeria’s challenging economic environment.

Haruna acknowledged the difficulties of doing business in the country but encouraged startups to remain persistent and focused on long‑term goals.

Murray‑Bruce advised young entrepreneurs to remain resilient, stressing the importance of persistence, careful contract review, and strategic thinking in business decision‑making.

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