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.