Daniel Bwala has officially taken up his role as Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, addressing public criticism surrounding his appointment.
Speaking to State House correspondents on Monday, Bwala, who previously served as spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential campaign, emphasised the need to maintain focus in the face of distractions.
“When you are focused on a thing, you are going to be faced with distraction,” he said. “It’s not about Bwala; it’s about the president.”
He underlined his commitment to supporting the administration’s objectives, stating, “It’s about the government. It’s about the president. It’s about his administration.
“It’s not about Bwala and because these things have been trashed before, I don’t want to feed the negative energy that is obviously sponsored by some elements who think that by doing so, you can gaslight the President. The President is committed, and we are committed to the force of the President, so I won’t feed into that energy,” he said.
Bwala’s appointment has sparked mixed reactions.
Senator Ali Ndume commended President Tinubu for promoting inclusivity but suggested that Bwala should apologise to Vice President Kashim Shettima for past remarks over Shettima’s selection as Tinubu’s running mate.
“This gesture deserves serious applause,” Ndume said, while stressing the need for unity within the party.
Bwala responded by highlighting his close relationship with the vice president, revealing they had discussed Ndume’s comments light-heartedly.
“Ordinarily I would not have responded to this issue, because when I was referred to what he said, I immediately contacted the vice president. We all cracked jokes about that,” he said.
“I have a very fantastic relationship with the Vice President, which even started before the judgment of the court was delivered regarding the matter.
“The relationship started, or rather became stronger, in the build-up to the emergence of leadership of the National Assembly. And since then, we’ve been having very good relationship, but I know that the senator in question is having some troubled times.
“All I can say is that we need to pray for him, for God to guide and help, but we are focused on the work of the President. It’s not about Bwala; it’s about the president.”
When asked about his role, given there are two other special advisers on media and communication, Bwala stressed the importance of collaboration.
“We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr President. What I can tell you is that, like I said, all of us are servants of the president. There is no issue as to the differences in terms of the responsibility.
“Everybody knows his responsibility. I am not here to define the responsibility of anybody other than myself, because it will amount to gas-lighting others.
“I only came to introduce myself to you and the role that was given to me by Mr President, and I told you that role was once occupied by Ajuri Ngelale but for God’s sake, we are all colleagues.
“We are not particularly bothered about who is this, who is that. We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr President,” Bwala stated.
