Founder of Silverbird Group and former senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the condition of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries and ensure they return to productive and commercially viable operations.
Murray-Bruce expressed concern that Nigeria, despite its abundant crude oil reserves and decades of petroleum expertise, has continued to spend heavily on rehabilitating its refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna while relying on imported refined petroleum products.
In a series of posts on his X handle on Tuesday, the former lawmaker said Nigerians had grown tired of repeated explanations and excuses over the prolonged failure of the state-owned refineries to operate effectively.
He called on Tinubu to appoint a competent individual to oversee the facilities, stressing that the country needed managers who were focused on measurable results.
“We need people who wake up every morning obsessed with results,” Murray-Bruce said.
He added that the country needed individuals willing to challenge entrenched interests, even if doing so made them unpopular in Abuja.
“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’s comments came days after Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to reviving the country’s moribund refineries.
On August 13, 2026, the President said the rehabilitation of the refineries would be driven by productivity rather than the mere completion of projects.
Tinubu spoke when he received the Executive President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Salimon Oladiti, and other union officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Responding to concerns about the prolonged delay in reviving the state-owned facilities, Tinubu said, “The refineries you mentioned are going to come back to work. We’re just building a very firm reset and structural reworking of the economy.”
Murray-Bruce, however, argued that stronger action was required to translate the government’s commitments into results.
He cited Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu as examples of public officials who, in his view, have demonstrated a willingness to challenge broken systems and entrenched interests.
“Nigeria cannot continue to behave like a poor country sitting on the assets of a rich country. We produce crude oil. We possess enormous reserves. We have decades of petroleum expertise. We have spent fortunes on refineries,” he said.
He added that it was economically irrational for Nigeria to export crude oil and import the refined products despite its significant petroleum resources.
“That is economic madness of the wrong kind. Now, we need madness of the right kind,” Murray-Bruce said.
He urged the President to make the rehabilitation and commercially viable operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries a major national priority.
