Daniel Bwala Pushes Back Over Viral Mehdi Hassan Interview, Vows to Return for Round Two

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Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala has broken his silence over the wave of reactions that swept social media following his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head with veteran interviewer Mehdi Hassan, dismissing critics as opposition sympathizers while doubling down on his willingness to defend the Tinubu administration on any platform, anywhere in the world.

In a statement issued Saturday, Bwala acknowledged the storm of commentary his interview generated but showed no signs of retreat. “Selling ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of the job,” he wrote, making clear that defending the President — even under hostile questioning — is a responsibility he embraces without hesitation.

At the heart of his response was a pointed allegation against the Head to Head production team. Bwala disclosed that in nearly six months of pre-interview communication, producers told him they intended to challenge the government on security, the economy, and corruption — but gave no indication they planned to put his own past statements under the microscope. He stopped short of saying the interview was a set-up, but the implication was unmistakable: “Ethically and professionally, they were supposed to inform me. That is on them, not on me.”

Bwala also pushed back against several of the quotes Hassan cited during the broadcast, describing some as inaccurate and others as “outright fake news,” though he said a fuller rebuttal would come at a later date.

On the awkward matter of his own previously critical remarks about President Tinubu aired live during the interview Bwala was unapologetic. He noted that political migration is hardly unusual, pointing to Donald Trump’s cabinet as an example, and suggested that the President himself is unbothered by the history. “It is all politics,” he wrote plainly.

Turning to his critics, Bwala was dismissive. He characterized the bulk of the negative reaction as coming from opposition circles and argued that their excitement over the interview had already begun to fade and would fade further still. He challenged opposition figures to subject their own policies and programmes to the same scrutiny, invoking a Hausa proverb: “Ga fili, ga doki” the field is open, bring your horse.

Despite the friction, Bwala closed on a notably generous note toward his interviewer, describing Hassan as “arguably the best debater on the planet” and confirming that a second instalment of the Head to Head interview is in the works. By then, he predicted, questions about his past would no longer dominate the conversation freeing both sides to focus on the administration’s record and policy agenda.

Daniel Bwala serves as Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication.