‘No More Clowns, We Need Mad Men’: Ben Murray-Bruce Bombshell Letter Demands Tinubu Overhaul Petroleum Sector
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Former Bayelsa East Senator and media mogul Ben Murray-Bruce has issued a scathing, high-stakes wake-up call to President Bola Tinubu, warning that his administration is harboring too many “passengers” and desperately needs “mad men” to rescue Nigeria’s broken economy.
In a blistering open letter published on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the Silverbird Group founder made it clear that true patriotism requires fierce honesty rather than sycophancy.
“Sometimes, the greatest service a supporter can render is to tell the President what others around him may be too comfortable, or too frightened to say,” Murray-Bruce wrote.
The ‘Mad Men’ of Reforms
Clarifying his provocative choice of words, Murray-Bruce defined “mad men” as unyielding, result-obsessed reformers willing to smash systemic corruption, step on powerful toes, and reject deeply entrenched mediocrity.
He praised Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso and National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu as prime examples of this radical leadership, noting that they have restored “discipline and credibility” to their respective sectors.
However, he insisted that two individuals are simply not enough to steer a country of over 200 million people.
Petroleum Sector Under Fire
The core of Murray-Bruce’s frustration is aimed squarely at the nation’s energy sector.
He described Nigeria’s decades-long habit of exporting crude oil while importing refined fuel as “economic madness of the wrong kind.”
Pointing to the Aliko Dangote Refinery as proof of what is achievable on Nigerian soil, the former lawmaker demanded that the federal government-owned complexes in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna meet an audacious baseline.
“Let the three government-owned refining complexes target, at minimum, the equivalent of 50% of Dangote’s nameplate refining capacity—about 325,000 barrels per day of reliable, commercially viable throughput,” he declared.
He added that if the government lacks the capacity to run them efficiently, they must immediately bring in private capital or concession them.
A Final Warning to Underperformers
Upstream, Murray-Bruce challenged President Tinubu to hunt down a ruthless leader capable of skyrocketing crude oil production to the administration’s target of 4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030, a massive leap from the current stagnant figures.
He insisted that Nigeria needs fierce executors rather than committee chairmen.In a stern final warning to the current cabinet and agency heads, the “Common Sense” advocate made it clear that public office is not a retirement villa.
“If you can not deliver, leave. If you are afraid of stepping on toes, leave… And if you are not crazy enough to attempt what everybody else says is impossible, we don’t want you,” Murray-Bruce concluded, calling his demand non-negotiable.
The presidency has yet to issue an official response to the letter.
