I had throat surgery after Al Jazeera interview, maybe ”Obidients’ threw that African thing’ – Daniel Bwala

Daniel Bwala, the special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, has revealed he underwent throat surgery following a viral, confrontational interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan.

Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, has disclosed that he underwent throat surgery shortly after his controversial appearance on Al Jazeera with journalist Mehdi Hasan. Speaking on News Central on Friday, Bwala linked the timing of his medical procedure to the aftermath of the intense interview, humorously questioning the influence of his online critics. “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 stated, while accusing a segment of social media users of placing political loyalty above the security and national interest of Nigeria.

Defending his performance against widespread online criticism, Bwala characterized Hasan’s interviewing technique as “opposition-style journalism” designed to discredit the current administration. He explained that the initial portion of the viral segment focused heavily on his past criticisms of President Tinubu from his time in the opposition. “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,” Bwala recounted, noting that the host’s persistence led to his subsequent defensive stance.

The presidential aide further clarified the tactical decisions he made during the heated exchange, admitting he eventually resorted to denials to stall the 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 has remained a point of significant public discourse, as it highlighted Bwala’s previous disparaging remarks about Tinubu made while he was serving as a spokesperson for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election cycle.

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