Media Got It Wrong — Daniel Bwala Rejects ‘Drug Lord’ Label Allegation on Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Media Got It Wrong — Daniel Bwala Rejects ‘Drug Lord’ Label Allegation on Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication and Media, Daniel Bwala, has strongly denied ever describing the President as a “drug lord,” describing the allegation as a distorted social media narrative that was wrongly amplified by mainstream newspapers.
In an interview with News Central on Monday, Bwala challenged his interviewers to produce any video evidence of the alleged statement.
“I have never in my life addressed Bola Tinubu as a drug lord. In fact, I have never believed in it,” he said. “If you have it here, we can shut the interview and you produce it.”
Bwala also clarified a separate viral claim that he once said giving Tinubu 30 years in office would change nothing. He explained that his actual statement, made during a Channels Television interview on December 25, 2023, was about flawed government policies, not the President’s tenure.
He criticised Nigerian media outlets for increasingly relying on unverified social media content as established fact, saying responsible journalism now appears overshadowed by a minority chasing outrage for monetisation. Bwala, who previously served as spokesman for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign, maintained that he had always rejected the “drug lord” characterisation.
The denial has already sparked fresh debate online, with some users circulating older clips and accusing him of inconsistency after joining the Tinubu administration.
