Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, faced criticism on Friday after his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan.
During the interview, Mr. Hasan referred to past comments made by Special Adviser Bwala about President Tinubu before his appointment.
Hasan cited the statements and the dates they were made, but Bwala denied making the remarks.
Following the interview, some Nigerians criticised Bwala on social media, with some describing the outing as embarrassing for the government and the country. Others called for his removal from office.
One user on X wrote, “This is what happens when you speak from both sides of your mouth. This is embarrassing. Bwala shouldn’t have gone for this Head to Head with Mehdi Hasan.”
Another user said, “Daniel Bwala and anyone defending this government should cover themselves in shame after this interview. I feel ashamed and embarrassed.”
Another wrote, “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.”
Another user said Bwala should have prepared for the interview.
“Bwala’s interview was a clash of power, culture and structure. Bwala came with political talking points, but Hasan demanded precision and evidence.”
Another wrote that the president should remove him from office to avoid further embarrassment.
During the interview, Bwala also spoke about the appointment of the minister of budget and economic planning Abubakar Bagudu.
Hasan asked about allegations raised by the United States Department of Justice linking Minister Bagudu to financial crimes during the rule of former head of state Sani Abacha.
The US Department of Justice said in 2020 that Bagudu was part of a network linked to Abacha that diverted funds from the Nigerian government in the 1990s.
Responding, Daniel Bwala said there is no evidence that Bagudu misappropriated funds.
“There is no evidence that Bagudu has misappropriated funds. The decision of the court in the United States does not bind the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he said.
He added that actions taken by US authorities do not amount to proof of wrongdoing under Nigerian law.
“There is no evidence that the minister has misappropriated funds in the government of Nigeria,” he said.
