Bwala assumes office, defends his new role as Tinubu’s spokesperson

Daniel Bwala, the newly appointed spokesperson to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, resumed duty at the State House, while reacting to public criticism regarding his new role.

The Informant247 had earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of three Nigerians as directors-general of various agencies and one special adviser on Public Communications and Media.

In a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy on Tuesday last week, the new appointees are: Mr. Olawale Olopade as the Director-General, National Sports Commission, Dr. Abisoye Fagade as Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism and Dr. Adebowale Adedokun as the Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement

Meanwhile, a former aide to Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Presidential candidate in the last general elections, Daniel Bwala has also been appointed as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).

The new Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, while speaking to journalists at the State House during a familiarization briefing, emphasised the importance of focus amidst distractions.

Bwala, who was spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential campaign, said his appointment is about supporting the President’s administration rather than personal interests, reiterating his commitment to the administration’s goals.

According to him, “In life, generally, you look at focus. When you are focused on a thing, you are going to be faced with distraction. Your character will be determined by how you conduct yourself in the case of carrying out the information.

“It’s about the government. It’s about the president. It’s about his administration. It’s not about Bwala and because these things have been trashed before, I don’t want to feed the negative energy that is obviously sponsored by some elements who think that by doing so, you can gaslight the President. The President is committed, and we are committed to the force of the President, so I won’t feed into that energy.”

Bwala’s appointment has drawn mixed reactions, particularly from Senator Ali Ndume, who praised Tinubu for demonstrating inclusivity but urged Bwala to apologise to Vice President Kashim Shettima for past criticisms regarding Shettima’s selection as running mate. Ndume remarked, “This gesture deserves serious applause,” yet he emphasised the need for unity within the party.

In response to Ndume’s comments, Bwala noted his strong relationship with Shettima, saying his attention was drawn to what the Senator from Borno said: “I immediately contacted the vice president… we all cracked jokes about that.”

He said: “Ordinarily I would not have responded to this issue, because when I was referred to what he said, I immediately contacted the vice president. We all cracked jokes about that. I have a very fantastic relationship with the Vice President, which even started before the judgment of the court was delivered regarding the matter.

“The relationship started, or rather became stronger, in the build-up to the emergence of leadership of the National Assembly. And since then, we’ve been having a very good relationship, but I know that the senator in question is having some troubled times, all I can say is that we need to pray for him, for God to guide and help but we are focused on the work of the President. It’s not about Bwala it’s about the president.”

Asked to define his role as there are other two special advisers on media and communication, Bwala reiterated that his role is not about defining others’ responsibilities but about collaborating effectively within the administration. “We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr. President,” he said.

Bwala explained: “What I can tell you is that, like I said, all of us are servants of the president. There is no issue as to the differences in terms of the responsibility. Everybody knows his responsibility. I am not here to define the responsibility of anybody other than myself, because it will amount to gaslighting others.

“I only came to introduce myself to you and the role that was given to me by Mr President, I told you that role was once occupied by Ajuri Ngelale but for God’s sake we are all colleagues. We are not particularly bothered about who is this who is that. We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr President”, he said.

Source: The Nation newspaper