Bwala Fires Back: “I’ll Face Any Interviewer, Anytime” – Tinubu Aide Stands Firm After Al Jazeera Firestorm
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has hit back at critics following the intense backlash to his combative appearance on Al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” with Mehdi Hasan, declaring he is ready to defend the administration “any day, anywhere in the world.”
In a strongly worded statement released Saturday, Bwala described defending President Tinubu as a tough but joyful duty he fully embraces. “It is not an easy job to defend Tinubu, but a task I am very committed to,” he said, insisting he entered the role with eyes wide open to its challenges and has no intention of dodging tough questions or tough interviewers.
Bwala revealed that Al Jazeera’s team approached him nearly six months ago specifically to discuss Nigeria’s security, economy, and anti-corruption drive, with no mention during that period of plans to scrutinize his past opposition statements about the president. He accused the programme of using “opposition research-style journalism” and claimed some quoted material from organisations was inaccurate or outright fake, vowing to address those points separately in due course.
Dismissing his own earlier criticisms of Tinubu as typical opposition rhetoric, Bwala pointed out that political turnarounds are common worldwide. He cited former critics now serving in Donald Trump’s cabinet and similar cases within Nigeria’s current government, stating bluntly: “It is all politics… Those things do not bother him if you care to know.”
He attributed the bulk of the online outrage to opposition figures and their sympathisers, whom he accused of having “no vision, no mission” and no credible alternative plan for Nigeria. In a direct challenge, he quoted the Hausa proverb “Ga fili Ga doki” (“Here is the field, here is the horse”), daring critics to step forward and face the same level of scrutiny they demand of the government.
Despite the storm, Bwala thanked the many Nigerians and international supporters who praised his “brave defence” in what he called a difficult, frequently interrupted interview format. He reiterated his respect for Mehdi Hasan, describing him as “arguably the best debater on the planet,” and said he looks forward to a potential second round, one that, he hopes, will focus squarely on the Tinubu administration’s policies, programmes, and achievements rather than personal history.
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