Two Mad Men In Your Cabinet Are Not Enough For Nigeria – Murray-Bruce Tells Tinubu

Former Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray-Bruce, has urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint more “mad men” into his cabinet.

He argued that the greatest service a patriot can give to the president is to tell him what others are afraid to say.

Naija News reports that the former lawmaker shared his thoughts in a statement made available to newsmen.

He argued that Nigeria needs people willing to confront and challenge a broken system.

Ben Murray-Bruce stressed that his support for the administration should not prevent him from offering constructive criticism.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he said.

He said by “mad men”, he meant Nigerians who were willing to challenge the status quo and  confront powerful interests

“Mr President, Nigeria needs more mad men in your government. And before anybody deliberately misunderstands me, let me explain what I mean by mad men.

“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,” Murray-Bruce said.

According to him, the country needs officials focused on delivering results and willing to become unpopular if necessary to serve the country.

“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.

Murray-Bruce cited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as examples of the kind of officials he believes the administration needs.

“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,” he said.

The former senator, however, said two such officials were insufficient for a country with a population of more than 200 million people.

“Mr President, two mad men are not enough for a country of more than 200 million people. We need another one in petroleum. In fact, give us two more,” he said.