Daniel Bwala assumes office as media adviser, says he’ll focus on Tinubu’s mandate

• Bwala added that his role is not to define or assign others’ duties, as that would be unfairly overshadowing their individual responsibilities

Daniel Bwala has formally taken up his new role as Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu.

Last week, President Tinubu appointed Bwala to his cabinet, despite Bwala’s past role as spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar campaign in the 2023 election.

Speaking with State House correspondents on Monday, Bwala addressed the public backlash surrounding his appointment, emphasizing the importance of staying focused.

Bwala noted that maintaining focus requires overcoming obstacles and staying committed to the president’s agenda rather than personal interests.

“In life, generally, you look at focus. When you are focused on a thing, you are going to be faced with distraction,” he said.

“Your character will be determined by how you conduct yourself in the case of carrying out the information.

“It’s about the government. It’s about the president. It’s about his administration. It’s not about Bwala, and because these things have been trashed before, I don’t want to feed the negative energy that is obviously sponsored by some elements who think that by doing so, you can gaslight the President.

“The President is committed, and we are committed to the force of the President, so I won’t feed into that energy.”

When asked about his role, Bwala clarified that his primary focus is on collaboration rather than defining others’ responsibilities.

“We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr. President, what I can tell you is that, like I said, all of us are servants of the president,” the spokesperson said.

“There is no issue as to the differences in terms of the responsibility, everybody knows his responsibility.”

Bwala emphasized that his role is not to dictate others’ duties, but rather to support the president’s agenda.

“I only came to introduce myself to you and the role that was given to me by Mr. President. I told you that role was once occupied by Ajuri Ngelale, but for God’s sake, we are all colleagues,” he said.

“We are not particularly bothered about who is this who is that. We are working to achieve the mandate of Mr President.”