Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, Icon of business and entertainment, is vying for a seat in the Bayelsa East Senatorial District to represent his people in the Nigerian Senate. In this interview, he justifies his entry into the race, talks about his vision for Nigeria and explains what he wants to do differently in order to bring about an unprecedented impact on Nigerians at home and abroad. Excerpts:

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

Why are you leaving your flourishing business empire to dabble in the murky water of politics?

I don’t see what I am going to do as dabbling in the murky waters of politics but as a chance to serve. At my age, I’ve done as much as I can of what I set out to do. Now, I want to reinvent myself and have another chapter in my life. In this chapter of my life, I want to serve the people of Nigeria.

What gives you the confidence that given the Nigerian political climate you can succeed as a politician?

Ben Bruce

As a businessman, I was never scared of whatever I did in life. People forget that in 1999 when I was made the Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority, television viewing was only possible for six hours a day. People forget that not too long ago, there was no cinema in Nigeria, and I brought it back to Nigeria.

People forget that not too long ago, Nigeria only had the Federal Radio Corporation as the only national radio station and then Raypower came a few years later with the same ideology and we played music and changed the radio landscape. People forget that with entertainment, we changed the television landscape. People forget that not too long ago, we had no malls in Nigeria and we changed that.

So, I have never been worried about being a pioneer. To be a pioneer requires that one has the courage to take a risk. So, if you take the risk and it works, you make history and if it fails, so what? But the important thing is to try to make your vision work.

Are you not afraid that your efforts could be frustrated in the Senate?

Well, I understand your concern because everyone I have spoken to over my decision to go to the Senate asks me similar questions. Some say to me Ben, what are you going to do in the National Assembly? You are going to fail, you are going to carry ‘Ghana-Must-Go’, you are going to collect bribe try to impeach someone and when you get the money you drop the charge and all that. You are going to do crooked things and so on.

But I keep asking myself, what message are we sending to the younger generation by seeing politicians as thieves and corrupt people? So, for me, if it takes one person to make a small difference then it is worth it. We cannot continuously insult our leaders. I am already appalled by the campaign of insults by the parties.

It is wrong and senseless and I dissociate myself from it. I will not be a part of running down any leader in this country or any political party.

Never and it is not right. I will not run down anybody. The adversaries are my friends, members of my party are my friends and I will not insult them: they will be my friends before the elections and they will remain my friends after the elections.

We should remember that Gowon and Ojukwu fought and more than one million people died and after that they had dinner together afterwards. Buhari overthrew Shagari, and they hung out afterwards. Babangida overthrew Buhari and they still hung out together.

Abacha threw out Shonekan and they still shook hands and had dinner together.

So, anybody who thinks that these two weeks left gives them right to insult leaders and distinguished Nigerians as if they will not see them again after the election, should know that what they are doing is wrong. It is criminal and I will not be a part of it.

Anybody, who wants to fight war in the name of politics should go and fight Boko Haram. That is a war and politics is a contest that one must win and the other loses and life goes on.

You are contesting with a former governor and a more experienced politician. Would you smile and go home if you lose to him?

Look, if I win, I win and if I lose, so be it. Why should I be so obsessed with victory that I would want to kill somebody? Whose interest and purpose would such victory serve? What would I tell my children and how would I explain to my children that someone died because I wanted to win an election?

Or that I played a voodoo politics? Why should I be a part of such a demonic act? I have a reputation in the world so why should I destroy it on the altar of politics? I only want to win to win fairly in order to serve.

The people will decide. If they vote for me they will get a good leader in me but if they reject me, they get what they vote for. That is the way I look at it.

Your manifesto talks about making Nigeria go green if you win the election. How would you do it?

Some supporters of Ben Murray-Bruce at a rally.

First of all, I am a Nigerian and a nationalist. A hungry child in Bayelsa is not different from a hungry child in Akwa Ibom or Maiduguri.

When a child is hungry they need food and do not care who brings the food or milk. Now, look at where we are today. We have privatized the power sector and the cost of power has gone up 100 percent and a lot of industries are in trouble.

But there is something we don’t produce, that is the sunlight that is given free by God. But the good thing is that sunlight can give us the same amount or more of light that we are paying for from gas or hydro sources. The sun is free and can give us the energy to do everything.

So, we should explore the maximum use of the solar energy. Soon, I am going to lead the way in the use of solar energy in Nigeria.

From April, I am going to start powering Silverbird Complex with solar energy and I will also begin to drive my electric car here for all Nigerians to see what solar energy can do.

I am going to even bring in some electric cars to the country and I will recharge the car free for any Nigerian who buys the cars. These electric cars can do a 100 miles per charge and if you are within town, you cannot exhaust the mileage even with the use of air condition. I have been driving electric car in America for over two years.

I have two of them and I have never bought gas in my home in the U.S. My house is powered by solar energy which has cut my bill by 50%. I am going to prove to the public that my car will be powered by solar energy and that my house can be powered without gas.

Let me tell you the difference between me and them. Oil is like cocaine.

The best cocaine producers don’t consume what they produce but sell to others and use the money to do what they need. Why consume what you have? Nigeria as a nation has become a drug addict.

I am saying today I will not be a drug addict but will use the sun to power energy in Nigeria. I will create a bill to get a billion Naira Fund to power every home in Nigeria to solve our electricity problems and create over 50,000 jobs.

By so doing, we will be grooming Nigerians on Science and Technology and make our people become slave masters instead of being slaves.

The future of Nigeria lies in Technology and not sending our people to be welders and Ke-ke NAPEP riders while some others lord over our natural resources as CEOs.

If you oil companies in the Niger Delta why should we be training our people as welders while the foreigners are in Harvard and fly First Class?

It means you have many bills to make?

I have ten bills already.

Why did you not suggest this idea of solar energy to the President who happens to be close to you?

Yes, I have done that already, and the Ministry of Power is doing some solar farms already.

But there is a difference between putting together some solar farms and putting down a billion Naira budget. Part of the deal is to ensure that 90 per cent of the components of the solar projects are produced here in Nigeria.

I am not keen on bringing in the components from outside so that Nigerians can benefit maximally from it.