Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, has dismissed criticism over his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head program.
He stated that he had no remorse in defending the Tinubu administration before host Mehdi Hassan and would do so again anywhere on the globe.
The interview, which was broadcast on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head on Thursday, sparked an immediate outcry on social media, particularly on X, where video went viral, with critics calling Bwala’s appearance an embarrassment.
Hassan frequently confronted Bwala with his own past words, in which he described President Tinubu as a drug baron, corrupt, and unable to govern—sentiments made prior to his 2023 defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
When Bwala denied uttering some of the statements, Hassan presented video footage, causing new outrage online.
Hassan also challenged him on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, citing reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, with critics claiming Bwala was unable to rebut the figures with his own evidence.
In a statement made on Saturday, Bwala stated that the criticism from what he described as opposition sympathizers was anticipated and short-lived and that he would not be distracted from his duties as President Bola Tinubu’s special adviser on media and policy communication.
“The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathizers. 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 and mission in conducting and managing a political party.”
He also dismissed claims that his performance on the program had been unsatisfactory.
He said, “Selling ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of” his job description, he said, adding that promoting and defending the President and his administration was what he did “with ease and joy.”
Bwala stated that the Head to Head approached him nearly six months ago, requesting an interview to challenge the government on security, the economy, and corruption, but never indicated it intended to probe his personal past.
“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.”
He accused Hassan of using “opposition research-style journalism,” claiming that some of the quotes read during the interview were incorrect and others were “outright fake news,” an allegation he said he would address later.
Bwala was unapologetic about his earlier critiques of Tinubu before entering the cabinet, citing the nature of partisan politics.
“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.”
Speaking on the opposition, Bwala was cutting. “They have no path to victory and no alternative policies or programs for the Nigerian people.
“And if they say they do, they can go to Head to Head and be interrogated on that.”
Bwala noted he was prepared to face any interviewer on the administration’s record.
“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,” he said. “It is the least of what is required of me.”
He stated that he looked forward to a second round on the program, adding that questions about his past would by then no longer be newsworthy, allowing the conversation to focus on the administration’s policy record and achievements.
“I am glad that by then questions about my past will no longer be news so that we can focus on our administration’s policies, programs, and what we have achieved so far,” he said.
Despite his objections about the interview’s conduct, Bwala hailed Hassan as “arguably the best debater on the planet” and stated that he still admired and respected him.
He also thanked “the many Nigerians and non-Nigerians” who praised his “brave defense of the government” during an interview in which the anchor “would hardly let you answer a question unless it suited his narrative.”
