Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria — Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Media and Policy Communication, has defended his appearance on an international television programme hosted by the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, insisting that he has no regrets about confronting critics of the Nigerian government during the interview.
The programme, titled Head to Head, featured Bwala in a debate with British journalist Mehdi Hasan, a well-known political interviewer and television presenter who hosts the show on Al Jazeera. The interview aired on Thursday and quickly attracted widespread discussion online, especially on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Clips from the interview circulated widely on social media, with some critics describing Bwala’s performance as embarrassing for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has governed Nigeria since May 2023. However, Bwala rejected that criticism and said he remained confident about defending the government’s record.
Okay News reports that the discussion became tense when Hasan confronted Bwala with several of his past public statements made before the 2023 Nigerian general election. At that time, Bwala was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of Nigeria’s major opposition political parties. During the interview, Hasan referenced earlier remarks in which Bwala had criticised Tinubu and accused him of corruption and other misconduct before later defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
During the exchange, Hasan presented video clips of those earlier comments after Bwala disputed some of the claims. The moment triggered fresh debate online, with some observers questioning Bwala’s responses.
Hasan also questioned Bwala about Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, referring to reports by international human rights organisations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Critics of the interview said Bwala struggled to provide detailed statistics in response to the figures cited during the discussion.
Responding to the backlash in a statement released on Saturday, Bwala dismissed the criticism and attributed much of the reaction to political opponents and their supporters.
“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 and mission in conducting and managing a political party.”
Bwala also rejected the suggestion that he had performed poorly during the televised debate. He said his responsibility as a presidential adviser was to promote and defend the policies and actions of the government.
“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.”
According to Bwala, the producers of the programme first approached him about six months earlier to request an interview focused on Nigeria’s security situation, economic conditions, and anti-corruption efforts. He said they did not inform him in advance that his personal political history would be raised during the interview.
“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.”
Bwala also accused the programme’s host of presenting what he described as politically motivated research and claimed some statements cited during the interview were inaccurate.
He alleged that some of the remarks attributed to him were incorrect while others were “outright fake news,” saying he would address those claims in more detail later.
Despite the controversy surrounding the interview, Bwala said he did not regret criticising Tinubu in the past when he was still a member of the opposition, describing such statements as part of normal political competition.
“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.”
Bwala also criticised opposition political groups in Nigeria, arguing that they lacked a clear strategy or alternative policy proposals for the country.
“They have no path to victory and no alternative policies or programme for the Nigerian people.
“And if they say they do, they can as well go to Head to Head and be interrogated on that.”
The presidential adviser said he remains willing to participate in interviews anywhere in the world to explain and defend the policies of the administration he serves.
“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 also expressed interest in appearing again on the programme in the future, suggesting that future discussions could focus more on government policy achievements rather than his past political statements.
“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 criticism of how the interview was conducted, Bwala praised Hasan’s debating ability and said he respected the journalist.
He described Hasan as “arguably the best debater on the planet” and said he retained admiration for him. Bwala also thanked supporters, including Nigerians and international viewers, who praised what he called his strong defence of the Nigerian government during the broadcast.
