What I said about Tinubu before was political propaganda — Bwala defends encounter with Aljazeera’s journalist

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said his past criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were made when he was in the opposition and should be understood within the context of politics.

Bwala stated this on Saturday in a press statement issued in response to reactions that followed his recent appearance on the programme Head to Head hosted by journalist Mehdi Hassan.

The presidential aide said he accepted the responsibilities of his office with full awareness of the scrutiny and criticism that often accompany the task of defending government policies.

“When I signed on to the privileged job granted to me by Mr President, I was well aware of its implications,” Bwala said.

“Selling ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of it. But the task of promoting and defending the President and his administration is what I do with ease and joy.

“I am prepared to appear before any interviewer, anywhere in the world, any day and at any time, to defend this government and its policies.”

Bwala noted that some critics of the interview lacked the courage to face tough questioning themselves, insisting that he would never avoid interviews where he is required to defend the administration he serves.

According to him, the invitation to the programme was initially framed around questions on security, the economy and corruption, but the focus later shifted during the interview to his past political comments.

“Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past,” he said.

“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 criticised what he described as “opposition research-style journalism” during the interview, alleging that some of the quotes attributed to organisations and groups were inaccurate while others amounted to fake news.

Addressing his previous remarks about Tinubu, he said they were made while he was in the opposition.

“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 saddle with such zeal. It is all politics,” he said.

He added that it is not unusual in politics for individuals who once criticised one another to later work together in government, citing examples from the administration of former United States President Donald Trump, where some cabinet members had previously spoken against him before later serving together.

Bwala dismissed the ongoing criticism surrounding the interview, saying most of those attacking him were opposition figures and their sympathisers.

He argued that the excitement generated by the interview would fade, insisting that critics had yet to present alternative policies or a clear path to political victory.

“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; yet they seek to manage Nigeria,” he said.

He also challenged opposition figures who claim to have alternative policies to subject themselves to similar scrutiny.

“If they say they have alternative policies or programmes for the Nigerian people, they can as well go to Head to Head and be interrogated on that,” he added, citing the Hausa expression “Ga fili ga doki,” meaning the field is open for contest.

Bwala expressed appreciation to Nigerians and others who commended his performance during the interview, describing his defence of the government as courageous.

He also said he maintains admiration and respect for Hassan, whom he described as one of the best debaters in the world, while expressing hope that future discussions would focus more on the policies and achievements of the Tinubu administration rather than his past political positions.