Opinion

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

Published

6 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

Rotary hails IPDG Lanre Adedoyin polio drive

Published

3 hours ago

September 14, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Victor Ojelabi,

The Rotary Foundation has recognised the polio eradication efforts of Rotary International District 9112 under Immediate Past District Governor Lanre Adedoyin, following the District’s transfer of District Designated Funds to the PolioPlus Fund during the 2025 to 2026 Rotary year, a contribution acknowledged recently, as part of the global funding effort to protect children from the disease.

Also read: From Lagos to Germany: How Rotary Youth Exchange Transformed Arnold Faranpojo

The recognition brings a fitting international dimension to a Rotary year in which Adedoyin, a lawyer and member of the Rotary Club of Surulere South, repeatedly placed polio eradication among District 9112’s major humanitarian priorities across Lagos and Ogun states.

In a message addressed to District 9112, The Rotary Foundation thanked the District for committing its District Designated Funds to the campaign, saying the collective support from Rotary districts helped the organisation reach its fundraising target and secure matching funds that translate into US$150 million for polio eradication.

“Your support helped Rotary reach our goal and secure the matching funds that translate into US$150 million toward eradicating polio,” the Foundation said.

The money has consequences far beyond the balance sheet.

According to the Foundation, polio funding supports frontline workers taking vaccines into remote communities, environmental surveillance capable of detecting the virus in wastewater and programmes designed to interrupt transmission in affected areas.

The Foundation said the continuing effort was particularly important in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic.

That assessment is consistent with Rotary International’s latest account of the global campaign.

Rotary says its partnership with the Gates Foundation generates up to US$150 million annually for polio eradication, with Rotary raising US$50 million and the Foundation providing a two-to-one match.

The money supports vaccine procurement, social mobilisation, outbreak response, surveillance and other operational requirements.

Rotary’s involvement stretches back decades. Its first polio vaccination project began in the Philippines in 1979, and the organisation became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, global polio cases have fallen by 99.9 per cent.

For Nigeria, the story carries particular resonance.

The country recorded its last case of wild poliovirus in Borno State in August 2016.

Four years later, the World Health Organisation African Region was formally certified free of wild poliovirus, leaving Afghanistan and Pakistan as the remaining countries with endemic transmission.

That historic achievement, however, did not mean the end of the polio challenge in Nigeria.

Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus can still emerge in communities with low immunisation coverage, making vaccination and surveillance essential even in countries that have eliminated wild poliovirus.

IPDG Lanre Adedoyin with wife at a Rotary event recently

It was against that backdrop that the IPDG’s polio drive developed during the 2025 to 2026 Rotary year.

Adedoyin, who became the second District Governor of District 9112 following the division of the former District 9110, had signalled early in his tenure that healthcare would remain a central part of the District’s service programme.

His installation in Lagos in July 2025 marked the beginning of a year that subsequently combined fundraising with grassroots advocacy and support for health workers.

By September 2025, the District had held a PolioPlus seminar at which Adedoyin warned against complacency simply because wild poliovirus had disappeared from Nigeria. District records show that the campaign remained prominent in its programme in the months that followed.

In October, Districts 9111 and 9112 took the End Polio Now message beyond conventional conference halls with a joint train journey from Lagos to Abeokuta.

Led by Adedoyin and then District 9111 Governor Henry Akinyele, alongside Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee Chairman Joshua Hassan and other Rotary leaders, the initiative turned the train journey into a public awareness campaign for polio eradication.

District 9112 also took the message to communities in Ogun State, including a roughly 10-kilometre Keep Polio @ Zero awareness walk in Sagamu aimed particularly at encouraging parents and guardians to ensure that children receive their vaccinations.

In Lagos, the campaign moved from advocacy to practical support.

District 9112 donated 100 pairs of rain boots and 200 raincoats to the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in October 2025 to assist health personnel working on polio eradication during the rainy season. The intervention was valued at about ₦1.6 million.

Adedoyin made the District’s position clear at the presentation.

“Our commitment to ending polio is absolute,” Adedoyin said. “We will continue working with the Lagos State Government and our partners until polio is completely wiped out.”

Another significant moment came towards the end of his tenure.

In June 2026, District 9112 announced that it had raised US$13,000 through the World’s Greatest Meal initiative for The Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus Fund.

The contribution was described by World’s Greatest Meal Committee Chairman Tokunbo Opanubi as one of the highest recorded by the District through the initiative.

The US$13,000 contribution is separate from the District Designated Funds now acknowledged by The Rotary Foundation.

Together, however, the initiatives illustrate the different channels through which District 9112 supported the global eradication campaign during Adedoyin’s tenure.

District Designated Funds form part of The Rotary Foundation’s funding system and allow Rotary districts to direct portions of available Foundation resources towards eligible programmes.

PolioPlus is one of the avenues through which districts can deploy such resources in support of Rotary’s eradication objective.

The Foundation’s latest acknowledgement therefore adds another layer to District 9112’s polio record for the 2025 to 2026 year.

It also demonstrates the multiplier effect behind Rotary’s funding model.

A contribution originating from clubs and districts can ultimately support a much larger global pool used for vaccines, surveillance, community mobilisation and the difficult task of reaching children in areas affected by conflict, insecurity or geographical isolation.

The stakes remain considerable.

Polio is a potentially fatal infectious disease that primarily affects young children and can invade the nervous system, causing irreversible paralysis.

Although its global footprint has been reduced dramatically, Rotary cautions that eradication requires sustained vaccination and surveillance until transmission has been stopped everywhere.

The Foundation’s message to District 9112 captured that unfinished mission.

It thanked the District for supporting the PolioPlus Fund and helping move the world closer to the point where “no child is threatened by this disease ever again”.

For Adedoyin, who handed over the governorship of District 9112 at the end of the 2025 to 2026 Rotary year, the recognition offers a powerful postscript to a year in which the District’s contribution was measured not only in fundraising figures, but also in public advocacy, community mobilisation and support for those working closest to vulnerable children.

Also read: From Lagos to Germany: How Rotary Youth Exchange Transformed Arnold Faranpojo

And for District 9112, the acknowledgement connects a local Rotary story from Lagos and Ogun states to a much larger global ambition: ensuring that the final cases of polio become part of history rather than the beginning of another outbreak.