The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has revealed that he recently underwent throat surgery shortly after a widely discussed interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan of Al Jazeera.

Bwala made the disclosure during an appearance on News Central’s programme, 60 Minutes with Mr Kay, aired on Friday, where he also addressed reactions to the interview and criticism from online groups.

“Eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan, I underwent surgery on my throat. I don’t know whether it is the ‘Obidient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” he said.

He criticised a segment of social media users he described as “Obidients,” alleging that they prioritise political loyalty over national interest.

“I know the environment I come from; it’s an environment where there exists a species of ‘Trojans’ of social media called the ‘Obidient,’ who do not care about the national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their hero, no matter the cost,” Bwala stated.

Speaking further, the presidential aide defended his performance during the interview, describing Hasan’s approach as adversarial.

“What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition-style journalism, where you play the role of the opposition. In that interview, Mehdi sought to elicit information from me to discredit the government, but he could not,” he said.

Bwala explained that much of the interview focused on his past criticisms of the Tinubu administration while he was in the opposition, which he acknowledged but sought to move past.

“In the first 15 minutes, he started by asking me to answer questions relating to things I said about President Tinubu when I was in the opposition.

“Repeatedly, I admitted to them — I even said I had said more than what he mentioned — but I asked that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” he said.

He added that he cautioned the interviewer against persisting on the same line of questioning.

“He continued doing it, and at a point, I warned him that if he kept going in that direction, I would deny it. He continued, and that was why I kept denying,” Bwala said.

The interview, which was released on social media, sparked immediate backlash, particularly on X, where clips went viral, and critics described Bwala’s outing as an embarrassment.

Hasan repeatedly confronted Bwala with his past statements in which he had described President Tinubu as a drug baron, corrupt, and unfit to lead—remarks he made before his 2023 defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

When Bwala denied making some of the statements, Hasan produced video evidence, triggering fresh ridicule online.

Hasan also pressed him on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, citing reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while Bwala was unable to counter the figures with data of his own. (Saturday PUNCH)

•PHOTO, L-R: Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, and journalist Mehdi Hassan. Photo: Al Jazeera

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