By Ghazali Ibrahim
A presidential aide, Daniel Bwala, has responded to widespread criticism that followed his recent appearance on Al Jazeera, defending his conduct during the interview and accusing the programme’s anchor of spreading “fake news.”
Bwala, who serves as Special Adviser on Policy Communication to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, spoke after his appearance on the network’s Head to Head programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan sparked intense reactions across social media and political circles.
In a statement released on Saturday after the backlash, Bwala said he had no regrets defending the Tinubu administration during the interview and insisted he was prepared to appear on any platform to promote the government’s policies.
According to him, criticism of his performance was largely driven by political opponents and their supporters. He also claimed that the anchor relied on inaccurate information during the exchange.
Bwala said he “refused to swallow the pill” of what he described as opposition-style journalism and argued that some of the claims presented during the interview were misleading or outright false.
The presidential aide further revealed that he had agreed to the interview after being informed that the discussion would focus on Nigeria’s security situation, the economy and corruption, but said he was not told the host would confront him with past statements he made while he was in the political opposition.
He also addressed questions about previous criticisms he made about Tinubu before joining the administration, describing them as part of normal political contestation.
“The task of promoting and defending the President and his administration is what I do with ease and joy,” Bwala said, adding that he remains willing to face any interviewer anywhere in the world to defend the government.
The interview has continued to generate mixed reactions online, with some commentators praising Bwala for appearing on a tough international programme, while others argued that the exchange highlighted contradictions between his past remarks and his current defence of the administration.
The controversy has since fueled broader political debate about the Tinubu government’s policies and the role of presidential spokespersons in defending the administration on global media platforms.
