Former Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint more "mad men" into his administration, arguing that Nigeria needs officials bold enough to confront entrenched interests and challenge a system he described as broken.

In an open letter directed at the President, the former Bayelsa East lawmaker said his support for the administration did not preclude constructive criticism, insisting that support must never become sycophancy.

He said sometimes the greatest service a supporter can render is telling the President what others around him may be too comfortable or too frightened to say.

Murray-Bruce clarified that by "mad men" he meant men and women crazy enough to confront a broken system, step on powerful toes, offend entrenched interests and refuse to accept mediocrity simply because it has become normal.

He said Nigeria needs people obsessed with results and willing to become unpopular in Abuja if that is the price of usefulness to the country.

He pointed to two officials he considers examples of this kind of leadership. On Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso, he said the institution had undergone a serious reset under his leadership, with discipline and credibility returning to monetary policymaking, whatever disagreements exist over individual policies.

On National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, he cited what he called seriousness, coordination and strategic direction in the country's security architecture, describing Ribadu as someone prepared to work, confront problems and take responsibility.

But Murray-Bruce argued that two such officials are not enough for a country of more than 200 million people, calling for at least two more to be found for the petroleum sector, one focused on production and one on refining.

He said Nigeria cannot continue behaving like a poor country sitting on the assets of a rich one, given its crude reserves, decades of petroleum expertise and the billions already spent on refineries.

He specifically called on Tinubu to make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries a national obsession, saying Nigerians have heard enough explanations about turnaround maintenance, contractors and committees and now want to see products actually coming out of the refineries.

He said government should bring in world-class technical partners, introduce private capital or concession the refineries if necessary, so long as the objective of making them work is met.

Citing the Dangote Refinery's demonstrated capacity above its 650,000 barrels-per-day design, Murray-Bruce proposed that the three state-owned refineries target at minimum half of that figure, about 325,000 barrels per day of reliable throughput, and push beyond it, positioning Nigeria as a refining hub for Africa rather than merely a country meeting its own domestic demand.

On production, he referenced the administration's stated ambition of reaching four million barrels of oil per day by 2030, calling for a "mad man" willing to fight oil theft, cut bureaucratic delays, reduce production costs and unlock investment to get there, rather than another committee chairman offering explanations for why targets remain out of reach.

Murray-Bruce closed with a pointed message to appointees across government, saying anyone unwilling to deliver, afraid of stepping on powerful toes, or more concerned with protecting friendships than Nigeria's interests should leave their position, adding that government is not a retirement home.

He described his appeal as a request rather than a suggestion, closing with the words: four million barrels per day, working refineries, no excuses, no clowns, no passengers, only results.