Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication Daniel Bwala has hit back at those mocking him over what many consider his disastrous appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head interview with Mehdi Hasan
In his first reaction after the now viral interview, Bwala, in what was a direct attack on opposition members in Nigeria, said he is not bothered by the ridicule he has received of his performance.
He describes it as a temporary excitement, insisting Nigeria’s political opposition lack of vision of managing their political party
Nigerian social media users have been on overdrive with criticisms of the presidential spokesman’s denials of statements he made while he was a member of the opposition
Bwala was repeatedly quizzed about his claims that President Bola Tinubu’s party has a militia wing and that his life was under threat, claims video evidence confirms he made. But Bwala denied, at some point, saying “What you just said now, I want to put it on record, on my own honour. that’s not what I said”; eliciting mumbled laughter and expression of shock from the audience
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He further stated that he did not request for the interview, but was contacted by Al Jazeera to explain the government’s performance on security, the economy, and corruption but got ambushed
“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’s okay, ethically, that is on them, not on me.”
He insists that he will never dodge interviews on matters that concern promoting and defending the administration he was appointed to serve, stating “I am prepared to appear before any television and interviewer, anywhere in the world, any day and at any time, to defend this government and its policies”.
(Editor: Ada Ononye)
