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Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, has stated that his previous comments about the president were made when he was in the political opposition.
In a statement issued on Saturday, responding to criticism following his recent interview on Head to Head by Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan, Bwala said that defending and promoting the policies of the administration is a responsibility he carries out willingly after accepting to serve in the government.
PRESS STATEMENT
In the last 24 hours, social media has exploded over my interview with Mehdi Hassan, albeit with varied opinions. Let me set the record straight.
When I signed on to the privileged job granted to me by Mr. President, I was well aware of its implications. Selling… pic.twitter.com/XgPxQ9ubRu
— D. H Bwala (@BwalaDaniel) March 7, 2026
He explained that those statements were made while he was part of the opposition and reflected the nature of political rivalry.
Bwala noted that similar political shifts have occurred elsewhere, citing the administration of United States President Donald Trump, where several cabinet members had previously criticised him before later serving in his government. He added that some members of Nigeria’s current cabinet had also previously criticised Tinubu.
“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 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,” he said.
According to him, he remains ready to appear on any platform around the world to defend the administration, while accusing Hasan of adopting what he described as opposition-style research tactics during the interview.
Bwala claimed that several quotations attributed to organisations and groups during the discussion were either inaccurate or fabricated, though he said he would address the issue at a later time.
“I refused to swallow the pill of Mehdi’s opposition research-style journalism. Even today, if you carefully compare what he read as quotes from organisations and groups, you will see that many were inaccurate and some were outright fake news. But I will leave that for another day.”
He added that he was fully aware of the demands of his position when he accepted the appointment from Tinubu, stressing that his role involves defending the government rather than seeking public praise.
The presidential aide also maintained that he has never avoided media engagements when asked to discuss issues relating to the administration.
He said the producers of the programme had initially informed him that the interview would focus on issues such as security, the economy and corruption, noting that they did not indicate that questions would centre on his previous remarks about the president.
“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 is ok, ethically, that is on them, not on me.”
He further alleged that many of those criticising him over the interview were opposition figures or their supporters.
According to him, the controversy would not change what he described as the opposition’s lack of a clear political vision or programme for the country.
Bwala also said critics who believe they have alternative ideas for governing Nigeria should subject themselves to similar scrutiny on programmes such as Head to Head.
“It does not bother me one bit. Their temporary excitement over the interview will not last, because it does not take away their obvious problem of lack of vision and mission in managing a political party, yet they seek to manage Nigeria,” he said.
“Clearly they have no path to victory and no alternative policies or programme for the Nigerian people. If they say they do, they can go to Head to Head and be interrogated on that. As the Hausa saying goes, ‘Ga fili, ga doki.”
He further expressed appreciation to Nigerians and foreign observers who commended his defence of the government during the interview.
Despite the disagreements during the programme, Bwala said he still holds Hasan in high regard as a skilled debater and expressed interest in participating in a follow-up discussion that would focus more on the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.
