Former Bayelsa East Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint more bold, unconventional and results-driven Nigerians into his administration.
Murray-Bruce made the call in a post on X, saying genuine support for the Tinubu administration should include telling the President uncomfortable truths when necessary.
He said Nigeria needed officials who would challenge entrenched interests, confront broken systems and prioritise results over political convenience.
“Mr President, Nigeria needs more ‘mad men’ in your government,” Murray-Bruce wrote.
He explained that by “mad men,” he meant people who were bold enough to challenge the status quo, step on powerful toes and reject mediocrity.
Murray-Bruce cited Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as examples of officials with the qualities he was advocating.
According to him, however, two such officials were not enough for a country of more than 200 million people.
“Mr President, two mad men are not enough for a country of more than 200 million people. Nigeria needs more,” he said.
He particularly called for such officials to be appointed to drive reforms in the petroleum sector.
Murray-Bruce urged Tinubu to make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries a national priority.
He said Nigerians were tired of hearing about turnaround maintenance, contractors, committees and deadlines, stressing that what they wanted was refined petroleum products coming from the government-owned refineries.
He also challenged the Federal Government to set an ambitious production target for the three refineries, suggesting a combined target of at least 325,000 barrels per day.
Murray-Bruce further urged the administration to appoint someone capable of driving Nigeria towards its target of producing four million barrels of crude oil per day by 2030.
He said such officials should be given clear targets, authority and deadlines, while being held accountable for their performance.
“Nigeria does not lack plans, policies, committees, experts or reports. What it has lacked for too long is the institutional audacity to pursue results relentlessly,” he said.
Murray-Bruce added that Tinubu needed people who would tell him when something was broken and present practical solutions rather than those who would simply tell him that everything was working.
“That is the kind of madness that can move a country forward. And, Mr President, Nigeria needs much more of it,” he said.
