Al Jazeera edited my interview, misrepresented my statements – Bwala

2026-03-11 - 13:57

Daniel Bwala, the Presidential Spokesperson on Policy Communication for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has accused Al Jazeera of selectively editing his recent interview, claiming the cuts created a misleading narrative that sparked online criticism. The interview, part of the “Head to Head with Daniel Bwala” series conducted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, was widely shared on social media, drawing backlash from some Nigerians who described Bwala’s responses as embarrassing. Speaking in an interview with On-Air Personality Daddy Freeze, Bwala said, “There is a fact that was incorrectly portrayed and has formed the basis of many opinions online, which was unfortunately pushed by Al Jazeera. I asked them to put the record straight.” He explained that the interview took place on February 11, 2026, and was originally intended to run for one hour and 20 minutes. “The interview was conducted properly. Questions were asked, and I answered them. I didn’t deny anything,” he said. However, Bwala claimed that when the network uploaded the interview online on March 5, only 49 minutes of the conversation were included, omitting nearly 20 minutes of content. He added that an 8-minute version later circulated, which “joined and cut parts of the interview in a way that emphasized certain points while leaving out crucial context.” According to Bwala, Al Jazeera had initially assured him that the full interview would be aired on television before being uploaded online. “Their excuse was that trending matters around Israel, Iran, and the US affected the airing. But even so, they went ahead and uploaded the edited version on YouTube,” he said. Bwala emphasized that the full interview should be released to ensure proper context. “It’s very important that they publish the full video,” he said, warning that selective editing risks creating misunderstandings about his statements.