Since Friday evening when Mehdi Hasan’s Head to Head interview with Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication Barrister Daniel Bwala was aired on Aljazeera, the social media scene in Nigeria has been awash with words such as “humiliation,” “disgrace,” “unprepared”, “evasive,” “volte face,” “hypocrisy” and “resignation.” I intend to become the only person in Nigeria who will defend our brother Bwala from the sneaky foreign/local social media lynch mobs and put everything in its proper context. Those who are saying that Daniel Bwala has been humiliated by Al Jazeera interviewer Mehdi Hasan, do they know what the meaning…
Author: Editor
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had its 304th meeting last month, reviewing both domestic and global economic developments before implementing a measured policy adjustment. Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN, said the 50 basis points policy adjustment reflects a careful evaluation of economic indicators and structural dynamics. With the retention of the asymmetric standing facilities corridor at a +50/-450 basis points spread and the Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR) at 45 per cent for deposit money banks, the committee members demonstrated their commitment to business growth and macroeconomic stability. The meeting was an opportunity…
Nigeria stands at a decisive crossroads. With youthful potential, resources, entrepreneurial drive, and intellectual talent, we still struggle with policy inaction, weak institutions, and overreliance on outside approval. I have highlighted how stories of competence and integrity can transform Nigeria’s global image. This aligns with university values: seeking truth, engaging in evidence-based dialogue, and nurturing active citizens. Thus, the significance of ABU’s 45th Convocation is clear, especially in light of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s candid message to Africa. This year’s ABU Convocation was more than an academic ceremony; it became a forum for critical discourse on national and continental issues. By…
This has not been subtle. Across multiple decades, Israel, and Benjamin Netanyahu in particular (he has been Israel’s premier for almost 20 of the last 30 years), have tried to pull America into a war against Iran. Netanyahu briefly succeeded last June when Trump launched the one-and-done Operation Midnight Hammer strikes. That appeared to only whet appetites. Israel’s campaign to induce a full-scale American assault on Iran became relentless. Netanyahu visited Trump twice in the roughly eight weeks preceding the launch of this illegal war of aggression (and that’s a total of seven Netanyahu meetings with the president in the…
After watching the recent Head to Head interview between Mehdi Hasan and Daniel Bwala several times, I was struck by the precision and intensity of Hasan’s questioning. This was not just a political discussion; it was a masterclass in holding a guest accountable, exposing contradictions, and pressing for clarity. Hasan’s approach resembled courtroom cross-examination, where every word and past statement is carefully scrutinized. For Nigerian journalists, there is much to learn from this interview, both in technique and in mindset. From the very beginning, Hasan set the tone by highlighting Bwala’s political shift. Bwala, once a vocal critic of President…
I have said far more about Daniel Bwala’s sensational Al Jazeera rhetorical incineration than I am inclined to, and honestly wanted to move on, but his ludicrous, self-indicting post-interview ego defense has drawn me in again. I will isolate only the most egregious alibi he invoked to explain away his embarrassing lies, contradictions, inconsistencies, and lack of basic decency to admit the truth. He says he should have been told in advance that his past criticisms of Tinubu would come up in the interview so he could “prepare himself.” That is a remarkable confession. In journalism, interviews are not take-home…
When Local Studio Swagger Meets the Global Arena – Last night’s Head-to-Head episode featuring Daniel Bwala and Mehdi Hasan was supposed to be a debate. Instead, it increasingly looked like a series of headbutts. What unfolded was a classic case of a local television performer suddenly finding himself on the Champions League pitch of global journalism. 00:02 – The early confidence (In the military, we call it “Initial Gra Gra”)In the opening minutes, Bwala tried to deploy the familiar talking points that usually work on domestic television panels on Channels Television and Arise TV News. But Mehdi Hasan’s style is…
Wisdom is knowing where to go and where not to go. My beloved father of blessed memory often reminded us that “common sense is not so common.” I do not belong to the army of citizens gloating over the disastrous international outing of a government official. Even when the individual in question appears to embody many of the debilitating traits that have come to define the unprincipled character of our politics, public humiliation of a national representative should never be a source of celebration. My reaction is different. I feel only sadness. Because once again we have been reminded of…
Guinea’s government has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three main opposition groups, in a late-night decree issued less than two months after President Mamady Doumbouya was sworn into office. The order, announced on Friday by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, cited the parties’ “failure to fulfil their obligations” under the country’s political regulations. The decree also stripped the affected parties of their legal status and placed their assets under state supervision. Among the parties dissolved are the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), led by Cellou Dalein Diallo; the Rally of the People of Guinea…
Efforts to protect children from polio are gaining fresh momentum in Sokoto State as health authorities and development partners intensify preparations for the March 2026 immunization campaign. The he Sokoto State government in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), organized a Direct Observation of Polio Vaccination (DOPV) exercise across eight metropolitan local government areas. The initiative, conducted from March 5 to 6, forms part of pre-campaign activities designed to strengthen supervision, ensure adherence to vaccination protocols, and enhance the quality of service delivery ahead of the statewide immunization round. One of the outreach activities took place in Makera Assada,…