Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication,p has accused Al Jazeera of editing his interview in a way he said created a wrong impression about his statements.
Mr Bwala spoke about the issue during a conversation with on-air personality Daddy Freeze.
“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.”
The interview was part of the programme Head to Head hosted by journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Clips from the interview circulated on social media and drew reactions from some Nigerians who criticised Bwala’s responses.
According to Mr Bwala, the interview was recorded on February 11 and lasted about one hour and 20 minutes.
“The interview was conducted properly. Questions were asked, and I answered them. I didn’t deny anything,” he said.
He said the version released online on March 5 was about 49 minutes long and did not include parts of the conversation.
Bwala also said another version lasting about eight minutes circulated online and contained selected segments of the interview.
According to him, the edited clips highlighted certain responses while leaving out other parts that provided context.
He said the network had earlier informed him that the full interview would first be aired on television before being uploaded online.
Bwala said the network later explained that developments involving Israel, Iran and the United States affected the broadcast schedule.
He said the edited version was still uploaded online.
Bwala called on the network to release the complete interview so viewers can see the full conversation.
The interview had earlier generated reactions online after Mr Hasan asked Bwala about comments he made about Bola Tinubu before joining the administration.
During the interview, Mr Bwala denied making some of the statements mentioned by the host.
The interview also included questions about the appointment of Abubakar Bagudu as minister of budget and economic planning.
Hasan referred to allegations mentioned in a report by the United States Department of Justice linking Mr Bagudu to financial activities connected to former head of state Sani Abacha.
Daniel Bwala said there was no evidence that the minister misappropriated funds and added that decisions by courts in the United States do not bind the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
