Opinion

Daniel Bwala, Mehdi Hasan, and the Art of the Political Interview: A Professional Critique

Published

5 months ago

March 12, 2026

A communications expert critiques the Daniel Bwala Mehdi Hasan interview and highlights key lessons for political spokespersons

For the past week, Al Jazeera’s Head to Head interview with presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala has dominated social media in Nigeria.

Also read: TV Anchor Rufai Slams Bwala Over Al Jazeera Claim

As a communications professional who preps senior executives for high-stakes interviews like this, it was difficult to watch Mr Bwala fall into one trap after another, but what followed was even worse.

His post-interview press release, in which he asserted that he was “ambushed” by Mehdi Hassan with questions about his past, was a bigger professional misstep than the grilling interview.

In claiming an ambush, Mr Bwala admitted to being unprepared for the scrutiny his current role demands.

For communications professionals, particularly spokespersons representing high-profile political elites, here is my professional take on Bwala’s encounter with Mehdi Hassan and what it teaches us about handling grilling interviews.

Lack of accountability: First, when you are a spokesperson to a major political figure as controversial as President Tinubu, and you have moved from ‘fiercest critic to official defender, everything is on the table the past, the present and the future.

Especially when being interviewed by an astute journalist like Mehdi Hassan on a show designed to be adversarial.

The show is called Head to Head for a reason; it’s ‘gladiatorial’, and Mehdi Hassan is renowned for his prosecutorial style.

Claiming ambush when a journalist pulls your past soundbites signals a lack of accountability and poor preparation.

Flat-out denial of publicly available information: The interview is a classic case study on the popular saying, “The internet never forgets.”

On seven distinct occasions, Mr Bwala denied past utterances or the accuracy of quotes attributed to him, even when confronted with transcripts of his exact words that were publicly available.

These rejections stripped away his credibility, one denial after the other.

Frequent “I am not aware” response: To be well-informed is one of the most potent weapons a spokesperson can take to an adversarial interview.

In addition to denying past utterances, Mr Bwala appeared to simply avoid difficult confrontation by frequently saying, “I am not aware.”

He used the phrase on four different occasions during the interview.

Repeatedly saying he was ‘not aware’ ceded control to the journalist and undermined his authority as a spokesperson, who should be a well-informed representative of the President of Nigeria.

False equivalence: During the interview, Mr Bwala repeatedly made comparisons to normalise some of the criticisms that came up.

Comparing insecurity in Nigeria to street crime in London is not only a false equivalence; it amounts to trivialising a national crisis that risks insulting the families of the over 11,000 victims.

On another occasion, when asked about why he chose to work for President Tinubu, he equated his switching allegiances to Mr Hassan’s career evolution, moving from BBC to Sky and MSNBC.

While comparisons can be a good way to lend credibility to arguments, they can be counterproductive if the analogy is spurious or not used in the right context.

This was largely the case in Mr Bwala’s Head-to-Head interview with Mr Hassan.

A few golden rules for navigating hostile media interviews

1. Build a bridge, not a wall

This is one of the first things spokespeople learn in media interview training.

When confronted with difficult facts about your past utterances, do not build a wall with denials or “I’m not aware” responses.

Neutralise the weaponisation of your past by owning your historical utterances briefly, then use clear transition sentences to bridge to your prepared message e.g., the evolution of your position.

If the journalist keeps bringing up your past criticisms, you keep pivoting to reinforce how and why your position has evolved.

This gives you more control to reinforce the present rather than constantly defending the past.

2. Master your data

As a spokesperson, data is one of the strongest armours you can use against a combative interviewer.

While preparing for the interview, it is important to organise your talking points, but equally important are the data you will present as proof points to support your arguments and counter criticisms.

When challenged about the rising death toll in Nigeria, Mr Bwala could have provided the ratio of combatants killed versus civilian casualties to underscore targeted military operations against terrorists.

The number of schools or pupils successfully relocated to safer locations would be more compelling than simply mentioning the ‘Save the School’ initiative.

The number of families who have benefited from tuition fee grants and cost-of-living interventions would be stronger than simply stating increased foreign reserves.

Vague phrases like ‘context matters’ don’t work in tough intellectual debates. Specific, verifiable metrics do.

3. Question the methodology, not facts

Instead of saying the data of a poll was derived from “drunken people”, as Mr Bwala did, challenge the methodology or question the bias of the source if you have grounds for such. For example, you could say something like: “While we respect the work of Amnesty International, their methodologies often overlook the nuanced security challenges of Northern Nigeria.”

4. Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!

Preparation is the key determinant of how your media interview will go.

It is not only about gathering information, but also about boosting confidence.

Journalists like Mehdi Hassan prepare obsessively for high-stakes political interviews, and you must match that energy by conducting a forensic audit of your past to anticipate your vulnerabilities.

Never assume that you will be treated with deference, as most Nigerian officials often expect.

Stay humble but firm in standing your ground when the grilling starts.

Overall, as a spokesperson, you cannot always control the questions you get asked, so you must focus on controlling your responses.

If you don’t like to be ambushed with difficult questions, then you aren’t ready to represent a president.

Also read: Showunmi Criticises Mehdi Hasan Over Bwala Interview

And more importantly, you aren’t ready for the scrutiny of 200 million Nigerians.

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Opinion

Tributes to Dr. Segun Osoba and Abosede Oluwayemisi

Published

3 weeks ago

August 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Bola BOLAWOLE,

Dr. Segun Osoba, Marxist scholar and historian, was one of my mentors and role models. Our paths crossed long before I came face-to-face with the enigma at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he not only taught me courses in the History department, but was also our staff adviser and comrade.

Also read: Folarin Balogun Linked With Tottenham Move Amid Transfer Talks

Cerebral and unflinchingly principled, Osoba snubbed the usual hussle, if I may call it that, of many academics to attain to the professoral status, preferring to remain “Dr.” even though everyone knew he was not the mate of many a professor!

For me, Osoba’s fame travelled far ahead of him. Appointed by the Murtala Muhammed regime into the Constitution Drafting Committee in October 1975, Osoba, together with his ideological soulmate, Dr. Bala Usman of the History department of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, broke ranks with the other members of the CDC to author a people-oriented draft Constitution that made the Nigerian people’s interests, aspirations and well-being its focal point. It was termed the Minority Report.

Expectedly, the conservative Olusegun Obasanjo regime that succeeded Murtala Muhammed rejected the Osoba/Bala Usman report while accepting the report of the majority members of the CDC on September 14, 1976. The CDC was chaired by Chief FRA Williams.

The majority/minority report divide apart, the CDC was not without its controversies: The sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had declined to serve on the committee, thereby reducing its members from 50 to 49. There was also the debate as to what would have been the choice of a much more radical Murtala Muhammed had he not been assassinated on February 13, 1976.

Specifically because of Osoba and Bala Usman, I chose to study History in the university! And I was fortunate to drink from the fountain of knowledge at the feet of Dr. Osoba on and off the classroom. As comrades, our relationship did not end at Ife; usually, comradeship is a life-long endeavour.

In late December 2023, after a spell of ‘long-time-no-see’, four of us old students/comrades of Comrade Osoba decided to visit him at his Ijebu-Ode residence – Femi Falana, SAN; Ambassador Ayo Olukanni; Kayode Komolafe (K.K.) and my humble self.

Comrade was still his very sharp and humorous self. Despite his health challenges, he still “recognised” each and everyone of us by our voice. We discussed for hours and it was amazing that ill-health spared his intellect. He was his familiar self – analytical, even if caustic, going down memory lane and recalling facts and figures as if he was reading them from a book spread out before him.

We promised to return. Unfortunately, we procrastinated, despite Olukanni’s repeated prodding. But as individuals, we attended his 90th birthday celebration held at Ijebu-Ode on 9th January, 2025. His book, “Critical and Contentious Issues in the Modern and Contemporary History of Nigeria: Collected Writings of Samuel Olusegun Osoba”, which was unveiled at the occasion, adorns my Library. See also my “Tributes to Comrade (Dr.) Segun Osoba at 90”, published in this column in the Wednesday, 15 January, 2025 edition of the New Telegraph newspaper.

Dr. Osoba passed away peacefully at home in Ijebu-Ode on 14 May, 2026. A flurry of activities by comrades from all the nooks and crannies of this country as well as abroad celebrated his life, extolled his virtues, pledged to continue the struggle from where he stopped, and bid him farewell from this earthly plane. In this were the words of Che Guevara fulfilled: “Wherever death may surprise us, let it be welcome, provided that this, our battle cry, may have reached some receptive ear and another hand may be extended to wield our weapons (Message to the Tricontinental, 1967).”

I was unable to participate fully in some of the activities because of the tragedy that fell at my doorsteps at about the same time.

First, my elder sister’s husband, Gabriel Alani Olusola Omiyale, died on June 11, 2026 at the age of 89 years. He was a mentor. Then came the bombshell: His daughter – and my sister’s second child, Abosede Oluwayemisi – died the same month on June 29th at the age of 54!

That was massive! To say we were devastated is an understatement. If the pains that attended Bose’s death remain indescribable, the ways and manners of her husband and his family immediately before and after her death remain a puzzle. They rubbed insults on our injury.

They desecrated our Yoruba customs and traditions. Bose had heroically battled the scourge of breast cancer; after undergoing an operation, we were all optimistic she was on the path to full recovery until tests showed she needed more medical attention.

Naturally, she was devastated but, gradually, she built up the confidence and strength required to see her through. No stone was left unturned by her extended family who did not leave the load for the husband and his family to carry. All hands were on deck.

The extended family had always been there for Bose. Her siblings had been wonderful; never allowing her husband’s unstable job situation to show or affect Bose’s treatment and other needs, including her children’s education and welfare. I also played my part. I am grateful to everyone who responded to our clarion call in many ways.

We were hopeful we would all pull through it and that Bose’s case would be another testimony that cancer can be beaten. All she needed – as much as medicare – were words of encouragement and support. That, however, became the weakest link!

Act one: Against the best advice of her mother, my niece was made to consume a concoction that turned the tide. According to her husband, the concoction was procured by his own brother in Akure, Ondo state, taken to a church for prayers after which it was dispatched through a motorpark! Bose drank this concoction and started vomiting. In his own testimonies, Bose’s husband took her to a hospital where she was given drips, which gave her some strength, but because the doctor was late in coming, he took her back home despite the fact that the test they ran indicated that she had a blood infection! That night at home, she started vomiting again and, according to the husband’s testimony, he took her again to the hospital by 1.30am. She was left unattended until late afternoon when she fell into a coma! Bose’s blood infection was never treated until she passed away!

Act Two: Our standard practice had been to always double-check whatever a doctor said or prescribed, but on this fatal day, Bose’s husband kept all of us in the dark. We were not told of the blood infection. We were not alerted when she started vomiting again in the night. We were not informed when he took her again to the hospital. According to him, Bose walked with her own legs into the hospital, climbing the row of stairs all by herself.

Act Three: At the hospital, the husband took Bose’s phone and locked it in the car parked downstairs. So she had no access to her phone – to call out or receive in-coming calls. She was held incommunicado. And there was no one else there with the husband and wife. He called noone; he also snubbed repeated incoming calls into his own phone, including from my elder sister, who is Bose’s mother.

Act four: Later that afternoon, the husband called me to say Bose was not responding to treatment and that I should start interceding for her. I was aghast! I had been waiting all day for them to link up with me for a scheduled appointment. Later, a female voice using the husband’s phone called me to quickly come to the hospital. I was on my way there when Bose’s second child, a girl writing exams at the Obafemi Awolowo University, called me, sobbing! “Daddy, what is happening to my Mom? My Daddy called me and said my Mummy is in coma” Coma! “Yes, sir”, the girl replied, “and my Daddy said my Mummy is dead!” I almost lost control of the wheel because I was driving.

Act Five: On getting to the hospital, they had already started embalming Bose! I screamed at the husband, but the hospital staff restrained me. Why the haste? Without any of her family members present! A thousand thoughts ran riot in my head. At 6.28 pm, Bose’s mortal remains were deposited in the morgue and we left.

Act Six: While we were agonizing about how to break the sad news to Bose’s mother, her husband and his family had posted Bose’s death on every conceivable social media platform, breaking the news to her young children, the oldest of whom is just a little over 20 years while the youngest is 14!

Act seven: We the siblings of Bose’s mother wanted a decent burial for her. We wanted her dreams and visions for her children respected. Bose’s husband and his family spurned all of that! They weaponized Bose’s young children against us. They threw their so-called customs and traditions in our face at every turn – as if the Yoruba have no customs and traditions. They employed deceit and subterfuge and hurriedly committed Bose to mother earth without any of her family members present! We warned! They ignored and played games!

Google says Edema is a name answered by both the Urhobo and Itsekiri people of Delta state. Does their culture permit the trumping of Yoruba customs and traditions? Should a husband boast to his children – while their mother was still battling cancer – that, if she dies, he will remarry? So, expect his wedding invitation!

Also read: Folarin Balogun Linked With Tottenham Move Amid Transfer Talks

Had Bose died of cancer, our pains would have been less insufferable; but she did not! Were they tired of the stress and wanted closure so they could move on with their own life? Hastened to her death! Hurried to the grave! This is to put the records straight. Our immediate attention, however, is the good health of Bose’s mother – and Daddy Omiyale’s burial slated for 29th and 30th of October this year.

Let Dr. Segun Osoba rest in power! And eternal rest grant Abosede Oluwayemisi Edema (nee Omiyale), O Lord!

(Published in the TREASURES column on the back page of the Wednesday, 5 August, 2026 edition of the New Telegraph newspaper).