Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has called on President Bola Tinubu to recruit “mad men” into his administration, saying the country needs officials “crazy enough” to confront broken systems and deliver results in the petroleum sector.
In an open letter to the President on Tuesday, Murray-Bruce said he was writing as a supporter who wants the administration to succeed, but warned that “support must never become sycophancy.”
“Mr President, Nigeria needs more mad men in your government,” he wrote. “I mean men and women who are crazy enough to confront a broken system, step on powerful toes, offend entrenched interests and refuse to accept mediocrity simply because mediocrity has become normal.”
The Bayelsa-born senator and media entrepreneur cited two current appointees as examples of the kind of leadership he wants more of.
He praised Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso for what he described as a “serious reset” that has brought “discipline and credibility” back to monetary policy. He also commended National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu for bringing “seriousness, coordination and strategic direction” to the security architecture despite ongoing challenges.
“Mr President, two mad men are not enough for a country of more than 200 million people. We need another one in petroleum. In fact, give us two more,” Murray-Bruce said.
He described Nigeria’s continued reliance on importing refined products despite vast crude reserves as “economic madness of the wrong kind,” and urged the President to make the rehabilitation and commercial operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries “a national obsession.”
Murray-Bruce said Nigerians have heard enough about “turnaround maintenance, contractors, technical reviews, committees, timelines and billions spent,” and demanded visible output instead. He proposed an audacious target for the three state-owned refineries: at least 50% of Dangote Refinery’s nameplate capacity, or about 325,000 barrels per day of “reliable, commercially viable throughput,” with the goal of pushing beyond it.
He pointed to Dangote’s 650,000 bpd refinery as proof of what is possible locally, and said Nigeria should aim not just to meet domestic demand but to “become a refining powerhouse for Africa and a major exporter of refined petroleum products.”
On crude production, Murray-Bruce urged the President to appoint someone obsessed with hitting the administration’s stated goal of 4 million barrels per day by 2030.
“Find somebody who considers 1.5 million barrels unacceptable when the national ambition is 4 million. Find somebody who will fight oil theft, confront bureaucratic paralysis, reduce production costs, unlock dormant assets, accelerate approvals, attract billions of dollars of investment,” he wrote.
The senator was blunt about accountability: “This is not a retirement home. If you cannot deliver, leave. If you are afraid of stepping on toes, leave… If you are not crazy enough to attempt what everybody else says is impossible, we don’t want you.”
He concluded with a direct demand: “Recruit more mad men. Give Nigeria a mad man for petroleum production. Give us another mad man whose only obsession is refining. Give them measurable targets, presidential backing and deadlines, and then get out of their way.”
“Cardoso is doing his job. Ribadu is doing his job. Now find us two more. Four million barrels per day. Working refineries. A Nigeria that refines its own crude and exports petroleum products to the world. No excuses. No clowns. No passengers. Only results. Mr President, this is a request. And it is not negotiable.”
