Former senator Ben Murray-Bruce has called on President Bola Tinubu to bring more “mad men” into his administration, describing them as bold and results-oriented individuals capable of disrupting inefficient systems and confronting entrenched interests.
Murray-Bruce made the call in an open letter to the President published on his X account on Wednesday.
The former Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant said his support for the Tinubu administration should not prevent him from offering constructive criticism or making suggestions on how to improve governance.
According to him, genuine support should not amount to sycophancy, stressing that leaders sometimes need advisers who are willing to tell them difficult truths.
“Mr President, I write this as a supporter of your administration and as a Nigerian who wants you to succeed. But support must never become sycophancy,” he said.
Murray-Bruce explained that his use of the expression “mad men” referred to men and women who are willing to challenge Nigeria’s broken systems, confront powerful interests and refuse to accept mediocrity.
He cited Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu as examples of officials who, in his assessment, have demonstrated such qualities.
The former lawmaker, however, argued that two such officials were insufficient to drive the scale of transformation Nigeria requires.
Murray-Bruce urged Tinubu to appoint more individuals with a strong delivery-oriented mindset to the petroleum sector, particularly to revive the country’s government-owned refineries.
He called for the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to be rehabilitated and operated on a commercially viable basis, saying Nigerians were tired of repeated explanations surrounding turnaround maintenance and technical reviews.
He urged the administration to make the effective operation of the refineries a national priority, with the ultimate goal of increasing domestic refining capacity.
Murray-Bruce also pointed to the Dangote Refinery as an example of what he believes Nigeria can achieve in the petroleum sector.
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He proposed that the three government-owned refineries should target a combined minimum throughput of about 325,000 barrels per day, equivalent to half of the Dangote Refinery’s 650,000 barrels-per-day nameplate capacity.
The former senator also challenged the administration to intensify efforts to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production.
He urged Tinubu to identify an individual capable of driving the government’s ambition of producing four million barrels of crude oil per day by 2030.
Murray-Bruce said the government needed people prepared to deliver measurable results rather than officials who would spend years explaining why targets could not be achieved.
He called for clear performance expectations for ministers, regulators, agency heads and other presidential appointees overseeing strategic sectors of the economy.
According to him, Nigeria needs officials who are willing to challenge the status quo and pursue ambitious targets rather than settle for what has traditionally been considered acceptable.