Murray-Bruce to Tinubu: Fix Refineries Now, Nigerians Are Tired of Promises and Explanations
Former Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has urged President Bola Tinubu to make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries a “national obsession”, insisting that Nigerians are tired of repeated promises and explanations.
Murray-Bruce made the call in a post on X on Tuesday, days after Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to restoring the country’s refineries to productive capacity and ensuring they operate profitably.
The former senator urged the President to appoint what he described as “mad men”—officials willing to confront entrenched interests, challenge bureaucracy and pursue measurable results despite political opposition.
“Mr President, Nigeria needs more mad men in your government,” Murray-Bruce said.
Clarifying his choice of words, he said he was referring to men and women who are prepared to confront a broken system, challenge powerful interests and reject mediocrity.
“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,” he said.
‘Make Refineries Work’
Murray-Bruce specifically called for the urgent rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries, alongside increased crude oil production.
“Mr President, make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries a national obsession,” he said.
He criticised what he described as years of explanations surrounding turnaround maintenance, contractors, technical reviews, committees and billions of naira allegedly spent on refinery rehabilitation.
“Nigerians have heard enough explanations… We want products coming out of those refineries,” he added.
The former lawmaker also urged the Federal Government to consider alternative ownership and management structures if government agencies cannot operate the facilities efficiently.
He suggested bringing in world-class technical partners, private capital or concession arrangements where necessary.
“But whatever model is chosen, the objective must be brutally simple: MAKE THE REFINERIES WORK,” he said.
Murray-Bruce cited the Dangote Refinery as evidence that large-scale petroleum refining is achievable in Nigeria.
The privately owned facility has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, according to the former senator.
He proposed that the three government-owned refineries should collectively target at least 50 per cent of Dangote Refinery’s nameplate capacity, equivalent to about 325,000 barrels per day, in reliable and commercially viable throughput.
He argued that achieving such a target would significantly strengthen domestic refining capacity and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
‘Find Somebody Who Considers 1.5m Barrels Unacceptable’
Murray-Bruce also challenged Tinubu to appoint a results-driven official to lead efforts towards the administration’s ambition of raising Nigeria’s crude oil production to four million barrels per day by 2030.
“Find somebody who considers 1.5 million unacceptable when the national ambition is 4 million,” he said.
According to him, such an official must be prepared to confront oil theft, bureaucratic bottlenecks and other factors limiting production, while attracting investment and unlocking dormant assets in the petroleum sector.
“I don’t want another committee chairman. I want a mad man. I don’t want somebody who will spend four years explaining why something cannot be done. I want somebody crazy enough to do it,” he said.
‘Two Mad Men Are Not Enough’
The former senator cited Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu as examples of the type of officials he believes Tinubu needs in his administration.
However, he argued that two such officials were insufficient for a country of more than 200 million people.
“Two mad men are not enough for a country of more than 200 million people,” he said, urging the President to appoint more officials who are “obsessed with results.”
Murray-Bruce concluded by calling for a Nigeria capable of producing four million barrels of crude oil daily, operating functional refineries and refining its own crude for domestic consumption and export.
“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,” he said.
