Founder of the Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray‑Bruce, on Sunday, March 1, 2026, delivered the evening’s keynote address titled “DESTINY” at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
His speech was heartfelt, raw in emotion, and broad in scope, moving seamlessly from global tragedy to personal choice, and from harrowing moments of human survival to the power of purpose in a person’s life.
On a night where excellence was celebrated and legacies were honoured, the spotlight at the 20th edition of the Silverbird Man of the Year Awards belonged not only to the men recognised for their impact on society but also to a man whose voice has, for decades, shaped Nigeria’s narrative on leadership, resilience and purpose.
“I believe as a person, I can choose my destiny,” he declared, his voice steady yet deep with conviction. That simple line became a thread woven into a narrative that gripped the audience from beginning to end.
Senator Murray‑Bruce began by recalling the devastating Ikeja Cantonment bomb blast, a tragedy in Nigeria that left many dead and shook the nation’s sense of security. In vivid terms, he recounted how, in the chaos of explosions and collapsing walls, some who faced almost certain death made split‑second decisions to run — and in doing so fell into the nearby canal as the only possible route of escape. To many, both choices — stay or jump — offered grim prospects. Yet, in that terrible moment, the instinct to live guided actions that defied death. The canal became, in his words, a symbol of human courage in the face of fate.
Drawing a parallel, the former lawmaker’s voice carried his listeners across continents to September 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the World Trade Centre in New York City. Floors ablaze and exits blocked, thousands were trapped in those towers as fire and smoke chased them upward. Many perished. Yet, countless others, by quick thinking, determination and what he described as the will to choose life, found stairwells and windows of hope in the midst of unspeakable horror.
“In both instances,” he said, “the choice was not easy. The path was not clear. But it was a choice, to fight, to run, to live. And that moment of choice defines destiny.”
The audience, comprised of captains of industry, influencers, creatives, and leaders from all walks of Nigerian life, sat rapt as Senator Murray‑Bruce wove those stories into a larger message: that destiny is not merely what happens to us, but what we decide to do in the face of it.
Midway through his address, he paused to pay tribute to a giant of civil rights and human dignity — Jesse Jackson, the renowned American activist who passed away recently at the age of 84. Jackson, whose life’s work spanned decades of struggle for equality and justice, was remembered not just for the battles he fought on behalf of others but for the unwavering belief that people can choose hope over despair.
Murray‑Bruce’s reflections on Jackson were personal and poignant, touching on the lessons that the world loses when a voice for humanity is silenced. He reminded the audience that Jackson’s mantra, “Keep Hope Alive”, was not simply a slogan, but a daily choice in a world often tempted by cynicism and fear.
As the lights dimmed and applause filled the hall, the message of destiny lingered, not as an abstract idea, but as a call to action. In a world scarred by violence, tragedy and uncertainty, the choices we make in our darkest hours, Senator Murray‑Bruce suggested, define not only our future but the legacy we leave behind.
“We do not choose our challenges,” he concluded, “but we choose how we respond to them. In that response lies our destiny.”
