• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has brushed aside criticism that followed his appearance on Head to Head, insisting he stands by his defence of the administration. Business Hallmark had reported Bwala's interview on the programme, aired Thursday on Al Jazeera, triggered a wave of reactions online after clips from the exchange circulated widely on X, with critics describing the outing as uncomfortable for the presidential aide. During the interview, programme host Mehdi Hasan confronted Bwala with a series of his past comments criticising Tinubu, including remarks made before he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2023 elections. Some of the remarks included earlier statements in which Bwala had described the Nigerian leader as corrupt and unfit for office. When he denied making certain comments during the interview, Hasan played video clips of the statements, prompting further reactions online. The anchor also pressed him on Nigeria's security challenges, citing reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Critics on social media later argued that Bwala struggled to effectively counter the figures presented during the discussion. But in a statement issued on Saturday, the presidential aide dismissed the backlash, saying it was largely driven by opposition supporters and would not distract him from his duties. "The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathisers. It does not bother me one bit," he said. Bwala maintained that his primary responsibility is to defend and promote the policies of the Tinubu administration, rather than seek public praise. "Selling ice cream, looking fine and seeking the praises of men were never part of my job description," he said, adding that defending the president and his government was something he carried out "with ease and joy." He explained that producers of Head to Head had approached him nearly six months before the interview to discuss issues including security, the economy and corruption, but did not indicate that the discussion would focus on his past political statements. "Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past," Bwala said, arguing that professional ethics required the producers to inform him beforehand. The presidential aide also accused Hasan of adopting what he described as "opposition research-style journalism," claiming that some of the quotes attributed to him during the programme were inaccurate or amounted to "outright fake news." He said he would address those claims in greater detail at a later time. Reflecting on his earlier criticisms of Tinubu before joining the administration, Bwala said such developments were common in politics. "It is all politics," he said, noting that several politicians who previously criticised leaders later served in their governments. He cited Donald Trump as an example, pointing out that several members of Trump's cabinet had once spoken against him before eventually joining his administration. Bwala also criticised opposition parties in Nigeria, arguing that they lacked a credible pathway to electoral victory or a clear policy alternative. "They have no path to victory and no alternative policies or programme for the Nigerian people," he said, urging opposition figures to subject themselves to similar interviews on Head to Head. Despite his complaints about the interview's approach, Bwala described Hasan as "arguably the best debater on the planet" and said he still held admiration for the journalist. He added that he would welcome another opportunity to appear on the programme, expressing hope that future discussions would focus more on the Tinubu administration's policies and achievements rather than his past political statements. Source: https://hallmarknews.com/bwala-dismisses-backlash-over-al-jazeera-interview-blames-host-mehdi-hasan/