Nigeria needs more 'mad men' in your government

Former Bayelsa East senator, Ben Murray-Bruce has called on President Bola Tinubu to bring more “mad men” into his government, saying the nation needs more officials obsessed with results and willing to confront entrenched interests.

Murray-Bruce made this known in an open letter addressed to the president and posted on X on Tuesday.

Murray-Bruce, the Founder of Silverbird Group, said he wrote as a supporter of the president who wants him to succeed but noted that “support must never become sycophancy.”

Murray-Bruce said by “mad men” he meant “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.”

He said, “We need people who wake up every morning obsessed with results. We need people who are prepared to become unpopular in Abuja if that is the price of becoming useful to Nigeria.”

Murray-Bruce identified Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso and National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as such “mad men”.

“Look at the Central Bank under Olayemi Cardoso. Whatever disagreements anybody may have with individual policies, there is no question that the institution has undergone a serious reset. Discipline and credibility have returned to monetary policymaking,” he said.

On Ribadu, he stated, “Nigeria still has serious security challenges, and nobody should pretend otherwise. But there is a seriousness, coordination and strategic direction in the national security architecture that deserves recognition.”

“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 added.

Murray-Bruce urged the president to make the rehabilitation and “commercially viable operation” of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries a “national obsession,” and to end what he called “economic madness” of exporting crude and importing refined products.

He said Nigerians have “heard enough explanations about turnaround maintenance, contractors, technical reviews, committees, timelines and billions spent,” and demanded “products coming out of those refineries.”

He proposed that government “bring in world-class technical partners,” “introduce private capital where necessary,” and “restructure” or “concession” the refineries if required.

Citing the Dangote Refinery’s 650,000 barrels per day capacity, Murray-Bruce said the three government-owned refineries should target “at minimum, the equivalent of 50% of Dangote’s nameplate refining capacity — about 325,000 barrels per day of reliable, commercially viable throughput. Then push beyond it.”

He also called for a more aggressive push on crude oil output to meet the administration’s target of 4 million barrels per day by 2030.

“Mr President, find the mad man who will deliver it. Find somebody who considers 1.5 million barrels unacceptable when the national ambition is 4 million,” he said.

Murray-Bruce stressed that Nigeria “should become a refining powerhouse for Africa and a major exporter of refined petroleum products.”