• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has asserted that seeking praise from men was never part of the deal regarding his decision to work for his principal. Bwala made the statement following the outrage that marred his interview on Al Jazeera's "Head to Head" programme, anchored by Mehdi Hasan. Naija News reports that Bwala, during the interview, denied knowledge of some negative occurrences in the country. The interviewer said the security situation in the country is now worse, asking Bwala if the government is proud to hear that Nigeria is now the fifth deadliest country in the world. Responding, Bwala said, "I acknowledge the fact that we have insecurity in Nigeria, we began to see back-to-back attacks in Nigeria after the Christian genocide narratives." The presidential spokesman also claimed that no country in the world is free from security crises. Bwala was also uneasy and embarrassed when questioned about his past criticism of Tinubu and his decision to work with the ruling party, which has generated controversy and criticism among Nigerians and political elites. However, in a statement via his 𝕏 handle on Saturday, Bwala maintained that promoting and defending Tinubu is done with ease and joy. Tinubu's aide also clarified that, in a prior conversation before the interview, Mehdi Hasan failed to mention plans to challenge his past because he would have prepared his response. According to Bwala, the majority of those criticising the interview are naysayers, members of the opposition and their sympathisers, adding that he is unbothered. The statement read, "In the last 24 hours, social media has exploded over my interview with Mehdi Hassan, albeit with varied opinions. Let me set the record straight. "When I signed on to the privileged job granted to me by Mr. President, I was well aware of its implications. Selling ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of it. Some of the fiercest critics of my interview can not even stand local TV anchors. But the task of promoting and defending the President and his administration is what I do with ease and joy. I am prepared to appear before any interviewer, anywhere in the world, any day and at any time, to defend this government and its policies. "I have never, and will never, subscribe to ducking or dodging interviews on matters that concern promoting and defending the administration I was appointed to serve. It is the least of what is required of me. "Head to Head contacted me requesting an interview, stating that they wanted to challenge our government on security, the economy, and corruption. Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past. If that had been their plan, ethically and professionally, they were supposed to inform me so I could prepare my response. But that's okay, ethically, that is on them, not on me. "I refused to swallow the pill of Mehdi's "opposition research-style journalism," and even today, if you carefully compare what he read as quotes from organisations and groups, you will see that many were inaccurate and some were outright fake news. But I will leave that for another day. "As for what I said about President Tinubu in the past, I am glad those were things I said when I was in the opposition saddle with such zeal. It is all politics. Half of Donald Trump's cabinet is made up of people who once spoke against him, and quite a number of people in our own cabinet also spoke against President Tinubu in the past. Those things do not bother him if you care to know. "The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathisers. It does not bother me one bit. Their temporary excitement over the interview has not lasted and will not last, because it does not take away their obvious problem of lack of vision, mission in conducting and managing a political party; yet they seek to manage Nigeria. Clearly they have no path to victory and no alternative policies or program for the Nigerian people. And if they say they do, they can as well go to head to head and be interrogated on that; as the saying in Hausa goes "Ga fili Ga doki" "I conclude by thanking the many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who sent in their commendations over my brave defence of our government in an interview where the anchor would hardly let you answer a question unless it suited his narrative. Source: https://www.naijanews.com/2026/03/07/im-aware-of-the-implications-of-working-for-tinubu-daniel-bwala-addresses-interview-controversy/