Bwala, following his denial of allegations levelled against him during the interview, was fact-checked by British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerians have taken to various social media platforms to slam the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, after he granted what many considered an “embarrassing” interview on Al Jazeera.
The backlash followed the appearance of the presidential aide on the media outlet’s programme, Head to Head, which was anchored by British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan.
During the Friday media chat, which has since gone viral, Bwala repeatedly denied critical comments he had made against his principal, President Tinubu, prior to his appointment.
However, Mehdi Hasan fact-checked him, quoting Bwala’s exact words and the dates they were spoken, despite the vehement denials from the presidential spokesman.
Following the interview, some unimpressed Nigerians blasted Bwala for his inability to respond decisively to the questions posed to him.
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Other netizens described the chat as an embarrassment to President Tinubu, his government, and the entire nation, with some demanding Bwala’s immediate sack.
An X user identified as Chinasa Nwosu (@ChinasaNwosu) wrote: “Tinubu must sack Daniel Bwala to avoid further humiliation. This is unbelievable.”
Another netizen, Theo Abu (@TheoAbuAgada), said: “This is what happens when you speak from both sides of your mouth. This is so embarrassing. Bwala shouldn’t have gone for this Head to Head with Mehdi Hasan or, at the very least, should not have allowed him to air the recorded interview.”
On his part, Jacob (@SuleJacobs) commented: “Bwala’s interview was a clash of power, culture, and structure. Bwala came with reckless and broad political talking points, but Hasan demanded precision and evidence. Bwala should have known that he was not going to Channels or Arise TV, but a Western media structure built for accountability, where evasion exposes weakness and foolishness on a global stage.”
Similarly, @AM_Saleeem wrote: “Daniel Bwala and anyone defending this government should cover themselves in shame after this interview, please. I feel ashamed and embarrassed for real.”
However, another X user, Everest (@novieverest), who felt Bwala was defending the indefensible, noted: “They cooked Daniel Bwala so much that he became too embarrassed to share the interview. He had to call Al Jazeera ‘Western media’. Defending Tinubu is hard.”
