The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala on Saturday pushed back against a social media backlash over his recent interview with British broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, calling it a “privileged job” that demands unflinching defense of the administration.
In a statement Bwala described the interview on Al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” as a deliberate ambush.
“Head to Head contacted me requesting an interview, stating that they wanted to challenge our government on security, the economy, and corruption,” he wrote.
“Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past.”
Bwala accused Hasan of employing “opposition research-style journalism,” citing inaccurate or fabricated quotes from organizations that the anchor read during the exchange.
“I refused to swallow the pill of Mehdi’s ‘opposition research-style journalism,’” he said, adding that he remains open to a follow-up.
“I still have admiration and respect for Mehdi Hasan as arguably the best debater on the planet. I look forward to part two of the Head to Head interview.”
NewsQuest reports that the interview, which aired this week, drew sharp online reactions after Hasan confronted Bwala with clips of his past attacks on President Tinubu, including accusations of corruption and incompetence.
The presidential aide brushed off the scrutiny, framing it as standard politics.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
While dissing most critics as “members of the opposition and their sympathizers,” Bwala argued that they lack a coherent vision for Nigeria.
“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,” he said.
The presidential aide invoked a Hausa proverb: “Ga fili Ga doki” — see the grass, see the horse.
He also expressed gratitude to supporters who praised his performance and reaffirmed his readiness for global scrutiny.
“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,” he said.
