Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu’s special adviser on policy communication, has stated that he underwent throat surgery following an extensively discussed interview with Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Bwala made the confession during an appearance on News Central’s 60 Minutes with Mr. Kay, which aired on Friday. He also addressed reactions to the interview and criticism from internet forums.
“Eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan, I underwent surgery on my throat. I don’t know whether it was the ‘obedient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” he said.
He berated a segment of social media users he described as “Obidients,” alleging that they prioritize political loyalty over national interest.
“I know the environment I come from; it’s an environment where there exists a species of ‘Trojans’ of social media called the ‘Obidient,’ who do not care about the national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their hero, no matter the cost,” Bwala stated.
Furthermore, the presidential aide defended his performance during the interview, describing Hasan’s approach as adversarial.
“What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition-style journalism, where you play the role of the opposition. In that interview, Mehdi sought to elicit information from me to discredit the government, but he could not,” he said.
Bwala mentioned that much of the conversation revolved around his previous critiques of the Tinubu administration when in opposition, which he accepted but wished to move past.
“In the first 15 minutes, he started by asking me to answer questions relating to things I said about President Tinubu when I was in the opposition.
“Repeatedly, I admitted to them—I even said I had said more than what he mentioned—but I asked that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” he said.
He added that he cautioned the interviewer against persisting on the same line of questioning.
“He continued doing it, and at a point, I warned him that if he kept going in that direction, I would deny it. He continued, and that was why I kept denying,” Bwala said.
Chronicle NG had earlier reported that the interview, which was released on social media, sparked immediate backlash, where clips went viral, and critics described Bwala’s outing as an embarrassment.
Hasan frequently confronted Bwala with his previous words, in which he branded Tinubu as a drug baron, corrupt, and unable to lead—remarks made prior to his 2023 switch from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
When Bwala denied uttering some of the words, Hasan presented video footage, causing new outrage online.
Hasan further challenged him on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, citing Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch findings, which Bwala was unable to dispute with his evidence.
