Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has dismissed criticism that trailed his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme.
He said he had no regrets defending the Tinubu administration before host Mehdi Hassan and would do so again anywhere in the world.
The interview, which aired on Thursday on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, sparked an immediate backlash on social media, particularly on X, where clips went viral, and critics described Bwala’s outing as an embarrassment.
Hassan repeatedly confronted Bwala with his own past statements in which he had called President Tinubu a drug baron, corrupt, and unfit to lead, remarks Bwala made before his 2023 defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
When Bwala denied making some of the statements, Hassan produced video evidence, triggering fresh ridicule online.
Hassan also pressed him on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, citing reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, with critics saying Bwala appeared unable to counter the figures with data of his own.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Bwala said the backlash from what he described as opposition sympathisers was predictable and short-lived, and would not distract him from his duties as Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication.
