Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, says he was tendered a private apology over his controversial interview on Al Jazeera, but that the matter is now before a court in England.
Speaking when he featured on an episode of The Morayo Show
published on Wednesday, Bwala said the network admitted it should have informed
him beforehand that his credibility and past comments about President Bola
Tinubu would form part of the interview.
He said he rejected the private apology and insisted it
should be made public.
“They apologised to me privately. I said they should put it
on social media. They said they would not because it would affect their
credibility, because it’s not just them, but their mother programs at the Al
Jazeera Network,” Bwala said.
BACKGROUND
The interviewer repeatedly referenced Bwala’s past
criticisms of Tinubu, prompting the presidential aide to deny several of the
statements.
“I never said that,” Bwala responded to many of Hasan’s
questions.
Clips from the interview later went viral on social media,
generating widespread reactions.
When asked by Morayo Afolabi-Brown, the host of the show, if
he had taken any steps to reclaim his credibility, Bwala said he had instructed
his lawyers in England to institute legal proceedings.
According to him, the broadcaster acknowledged that, under
its ethical guidelines, it should have disclosed in advance that his past
criticisms of Tinubu and his decision to later support the president would be
scrutinised.
“The element of the apology was that they should have told
me they were going to interrogate my credibility by asking why I now support
someone I previously criticised. By their ethics, they admitted they ought to
have told me, and they were sorry they did not,” he said.
“…because I called a number of media analysts, including
Piers Morgan, whom I contacted through a third party, and confirmed that what
they did was wrong.”
Bwala also accused Hasan of editing the pre-recorded
interview in a way that misrepresented his responses.
He claimed the opening portion of the interview, in which he
said he had warned Hasan that he would deny further questions about his past
remarks because they were outside the agreed scope of the interview, was
removed from the final broadcast.
“He took away the opening remark where I told him that I had
indeed made those comments against Asiwaju and even said worse things, but that
was not what I was invited to discuss. I told him that if he continued on that
line of questioning, I would deny them. He removed that part,” Bwala said.
He argued that the editing created the impression that he
was simply denying his previous statements without context.
Bwala said his legal advisers in England believe the
broadcast amounts to defamation.
“The case is currently in court. We’re waiting for the
verdict because my advisers in England said it is a case of defamation of
character,” he said.
’SOME NIGERIANS THINK THEY’RE SUFFERING, BUT BETTER THAN
COLLEAGUES WHO JAPA’
Responding to a question from the audience about what the
federal government was doing to address the rising rate of emigration,
popularly known as japa, Bwala said that some Nigerians who believe they are
struggling financially are better off than many of their counterparts who
migrated to the United Kingdom in search of better opportunities.
He claimed that many highly educated Nigerians in the UK
work in care homes despite holding university degrees, adding that the cost of
living leaves them with little disposable income.
According to him, some Nigerians with first-class degrees
and postgraduate qualifications are employed as care workers, a job he
described as “modern-day slavery”.
“Some of you in Nigeria who think you are suffering are
better off than your colleagues that japa five years ago,” Bwala said.
“A Nigerian who finished with a first class or second class
degree, and even adds another degree in the UK, many of them work in care
homes. As far as I am concerned, it is modern-day slavery.
“On average, they earn about £2,600 or £2,800 a month, but
almost all of it goes to rent, electricity, internet, television and other
bills. By the time you add feeding and other expenses, there is very little
left. That is why many of them are forced to do two or three jobs.”
Bwala compared their situation with that of a Nigerian
earning ₦60,000 monthly, arguing that despite the lower income, such a person
may have stronger family and community support and face lower living costs.
“I will compare that person with a Nigerian here earning
₦60,000. I’m just giving an example. That person may have relatives or friends
who can lend or support them. Also, what we pay for electricity and some social
services here is almost nothing compared to what people pay there,” he said.
Bwala acknowledged that Nigerians living abroad may enjoy
better infrastructure and access to healthcare but argued that many still
struggle to own assets because of the high cost of living.
“Your challenge here may be that you don’t have enough money
to build a house or buy a car. That other person may not even own a car or be
able to buy one in the next 20 years. Although they have better infrastructure
and access to healthcare, they are not necessarily better off financially,” he
said.
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