Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint more “mad men” into his administration, people he described as results-driven individuals willing to confront entrenched interests and challenge Nigeria’s inefficient systems.
Murray-Bruce, a former Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant, made the call in an open letter to Tinubu published on his X account on Wednesday.
The former senator said while he supported the administration, his support should not prevent him from criticising policies or offering suggestions he believed would improve the country.
“Mr President, I write this as a supporter of your administration and as a Nigerian who wants you to succeed. But support must never become 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. Mr President, Nigeria needs more mad men in your government,” he wrote.
Murray-Bruce clarified that by “mad men”, he meant men and women willing to confront broken systems, challenge powerful interests and reject mediocrity in the pursuit of results.
“I mean 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.
He cited the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as examples of officials who, in his view, had demonstrated the seriousness and determination required to tackle Nigeria’s challenges.
“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. That is one mad man.”
Murray-Bruce acknowledged that Nigeria continued to face significant security challenges but said the NSA had brought “seriousness, coordination and strategic direction” to the country’s security architecture.
“That is another mad man,” he added.
However, he argued that two such officials were not enough for a country of more than 200 million people.