Daniel Bwala, Presidential Spokesperson on Policy Communication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has accused Al Jazeera of manipulating his recent interview through selective editing that allegedly misrepresented his statements and caused online backlash.
The controversial interview, part of the “Head to Head with Daniel Bwala” series hosted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, quickly went viral on social media, with many Nigerians criticising Bwala’s responses.
But reacting during a conversation with On-Air Personality Daddy Freeze, Bwala insisted the viral clips do not reflect the full interview and accused the international broadcaster of creating a misleading narrative.
“There is a fact that was incorrectly portrayed and has formed the basis of many opinions online, which was unfortunately pushed by Al Jazeera. I asked them to put the record straight.”
Bwala explained that the interview was conducted on February 11, 2026, and was originally scheduled to last one hour and twenty minutes.
“The interview was conducted properly. Questions were asked, and I answered them. I didn’t deny anything.”
However, he claimed that when the interview was eventually released online on March 5, only 49 minutes of the discussion appeared on YouTube, leaving out nearly 20 minutes of content.
According to him, the situation worsened when a shorter clip began circulating on social media.
He added that an 8-minute version later circulated, which “joined and cut parts of the interview in a way that emphasized certain points while leaving out crucial context.”
Bwala also revealed that Al Jazeera had earlier assured him the complete interview would first air on television before any online release.
“Their excuse was that trending matters around Israel, Iran, and the US affected the airing. But even so, they went ahead and uploaded the edited version on YouTube.”
The presidential spokesperson maintained that only the full interview would properly reflect his responses and prevent misinterpretation.
“It’s very important that they publish the full video,” he said, warning that selective editing can easily create false impressions about public statements.
