Ben Murray-Bruce Tells Tinubu: "Nigeria Needs More Mad Men in Your Government"
Former senator and Silverbird Group founder praises Cardoso and Ribadu as models of bold leadership, demands equally fearless "mad men" to fix Nigeria's refineries and push crude output to 4 million barrels per day, warns underperforming officials to leave government.
Former Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, founder of Silverbird Group, has issued a strongly worded open letter to President Bola Tinubu, calling for what he described as "mad men" in government, officials bold enough to confront Nigeria's broken systems, challenge powerful interests, and reject mediocrity in the pursuit of results.
In the letter, shared via his social media handle, Murray-Bruce identified himself as a supporter of the Tinubu administration but insisted that genuine support must never slide into flattery. He argued that sometimes the most useful thing a supporter can do is say what others around the President may be too comfortable or too afraid to voice.
By "mad men," he clarified, he does not mean recklessness but a willingness to disrupt entrenched interests and demand accountability. He praised Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso for restoring discipline and credibility to monetary policy, and commended National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for bringing coordination and strategic direction to Nigeria's security architecture, even as security challenges persist. Both men, he said, represent the kind of leadership Nigeria needs more of.
But two, he argued, are not enough for a country of over 200 million people. Murray-Bruce called specifically for similarly driven leadership in the petroleum sector, describing Nigeria's continued reliance on crude oil exports and refined product imports as economic madness of the wrong kind.
He urged the President to make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries a national priority, warning that Nigerians have grown tired of explanations involving turnaround maintenance, contractors, and committees without results to show for them. Whether through private capital, world-class technical partnerships, restructuring, or concession, he insisted the objective must remain simple: get the refineries working.
Pointing to the Dangote Refinery, which was designed for 650,000 barrels per day and has reportedly exceeded that figure during performance testing, Murray-Bruce proposed an ambitious benchmark: that the three government-owned refineries collectively target at least half of Dangote's nameplate capacity, roughly 325,000 barrels per day of reliable output, before pushing further. He argued that Nigeria's ambitions should extend beyond meeting domestic demand, positioning the country as a refining powerhouse and major exporter for the rest of Africa.
On production, he referenced the federal government's stated target of reaching four million barrels of oil per day by 2030, and called for a leader determined enough to deliver it, someone willing to fight oil theft, cut through bureaucratic bottlenecks, reduce production costs, and attract the investment needed to unlock the country's full output potential.
Murray-Bruce did not stop at the oil sector. He extended his message to every minister, regulator, and presidential appointee overseeing critical parts of the economy, warning that government is not a retirement home. Officials unwilling to take risks, confront vested interests, or deliver results, he said, should step aside.
He closed the letter by commending Tinubu for previous politically difficult decisions and urging him to take another: recruiting more results-driven officials, backing them with clear targets and deadlines, and allowing them room to work without interference.
"Four million barrels per day. Working refineries. A Nigeria that refines its own crude and exports petroleum products to the world," he wrote, describing the request as non-negotiable.
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