The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has reacted to critics following his interview with Al Jazeera, saying he is prepared to appear before any interviewer anywhere in the world, especially with President Bola Tinubu not bothered by things said against him.
On Saturday, Bwala spoke for the first time since the backlash to his interview with Mehdi Hassan on Al Jazeera, claiming in a statement that it is not an easy job to defend President Tinubu and his administration, adding that it is a task he is very committed to.
“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 ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of it,” he said.
“Some of the fiercest critics of my interview can not even stand local TV anchors. 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.
“I have never, and will never, subscribe to ducking or dodging interviews on matters that concern promoting and defending the administration I was appointed to serve. It is the least of what is required of me.”
The former critic of President Tinubu, speaking further revealed how he got to appear on Al Jazeera to grant the global TV station an interview.
“Head to Head contacted me requesting an interview, stating that they wanted to challenge our government on security, the economy, and corruption. 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,” Bwala said.
“I refused to swallow the pill of Mehdi’s “opposition research-style journalism,” and 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.”
As for what he said about President Tinubu in the past, Bwala said he is glad those were things he said when he was in the opposition saddle with such zeal, but it is all politics.
He argued that half of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet is made up of people who once spoke against him, and quite a number of people in Tinubu’s cabinet also spoke against the Nigerian President in the past. Bwala added that those things do not bother President Tinubu if anyone cares to know.
“The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathisers. It does not bother me one bit. 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, mission in conducting and managing a political party; yet they seek to manage Nigeria,” Bwala said.
“Clearly they have no path to victory and no alternative policies or program for the Nigerian people. And if they say they do, they can as well go to head to head and be interrogated on that; as the saying in Hausa goes “Ga fili Ga doki”
“I conclude by thanking the many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who sent in their commendations over my brave defence of our government in an interview where the anchor would hardly let you answer a question unless it suited his narrative.
“I still have admiration and respect for Mehdi Hassan as arguably the best debater on the planet. I look forward to part two of the Head to Head interview, and I am glad that by then questions about my past will no longer be news so that we can focus on our administration’s policies, programs and what we have achieved so far.”
