By Peter Omopo
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has defended his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme, dismissing criticism that followed the interview.
Bwala said he had no regrets defending the Tinubu administration during the interview with the programme’s host, Mehdi Hassan, and maintained that he would do so again anywhere in the world.
The interview, which aired on Thursday, generated widespread reactions on social media after clips from the programme went viral, with critics describing Bwala’s performance as embarrassing.
During the interview, Hassan confronted Bwala with several past statements in which he had criticised President Bola Tinubu before defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in 2023.
The host presented video evidence of comments in which Bwala had previously described Tinubu as corrupt, unfit to lead and a drug baron, after Bwala denied making some of the statements.
Hassan also questioned him on Nigeria’s security situation, citing reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Responding to the backlash in a statement on Saturday, Bwala said the reactions were largely from opposition members and their supporters and would not distract him from his responsibilities in the presidency.
He said promoting and defending the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration remained his primary duty.
Bwala disclosed that the programme had approached him nearly six months earlier for an interview focused on issues such as security, the economy and corruption, adding that he was not informed beforehand that his past political statements would be raised.
He argued that if such questions had been planned, the programme should have informed him in advance so he could prepare responses.
The presidential aide also accused Hassan of using what he described as opposition-style research, claiming that some of the statements attributed to him during the interview were inaccurate while others amounted to “fake news.”
Bwala said he would address those claims in detail at a later time.
He, however, acknowledged that some of the past criticisms he made about President Tinubu occurred when he was in the opposition, noting that such political disagreements are common.
According to him, many political figures around the world, including members of former United States President Donald Trump’s cabinet, had previously criticised leaders they later worked with.
Bwala added that he remains willing to appear on any platform to defend the administration’s record and said he looked forward to a possible second appearance on the programme.
Despite criticising aspects of the interview, he described Hassan as one of the best debaters in the world and expressed respect for the journalist.
He also thanked supporters who commended what he described as his firm defence of the Nigerian government during the interview.
