Murray-Bruce Urges Tinubu to Revive Nigeria’s Refineries

Former Bayelsa East Senator and founder of Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, has called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the rehabilitation and commercial viability of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries.

In a post on X, Murray-Bruce lamented that despite Nigeria’s vast crude oil reserves and decades of petroleum expertise, the country continues to export crude while importing refined products.

He described the situation as “economic madness of the wrong kind” and urged Tinubu to make the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries a “national obsession.”

He advised the President to appoint competent managers who are “obsessed with results” and willing to challenge entrenched interests.

Murray-Bruce also suggested restructuring the refineries, bringing in private capital, or partnering with world-class technical experts if government cannot run them efficiently.

Drawing inspiration from the Dangote refinery, which produces 650,000 barrels per day, he proposed that government-owned refineries should target at least half of that capacity, about 325,000 barrels daily and eventually exceed it.

While pledging support for Tinubu’s administration, Murray-Bruce cautioned against sycophancy, stressing that true supporters must be willing to tell the President hard truths.

“Nigerians have heard enough excuses. We want products coming out of those refineries,” he said.

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