Dr. Daniel Bwala has clarified that his colleague, Bayo Onanuga, did not intend to downplay the severe economic hardship in the country, but was simply trying to de-escalate a tense television interview. He accused the media of deliberately taking the statement out of context to monetize the resulting outrage.
Speaking during a recent interview with Morayo Afolabi-Brown, the presidential aide pointed out that President Bola Tinubu has already publicly acknowledged the hunger facing many Nigerians. Because the president is fully aware of the crisis, Bwala argued that it makes no logical sense for his spokespersons to pretend the problem does not exist.
He further criticized modern journalists for focusing on social media revenue rather than objective reporting, insisting that Onanuga’s controversial remark about his private staff not complaining of hunger was merely poorly phrased under pressure.
In Dr. Daniel Bwala’s words: “The person who was elected as the president, who appointed us, said to the Nigerian people he understands they are hungry. He said, ‘Stay put with government, we are driving a reform that will make a better life for you.’ The president acknowledges and recognizes that many Nigerians are hungry. Those of us who are appointed by him cannot be more Catholic than him.”
Defending his colleague’s intentions, he added: “The media of the present generation, with the exception of a few, are about what we call monetization and revenue. Anything that will generate controversy and bring revenue, they will feed off of it. The person who said that was my colleague, Bayo Onanuga. He did not mean that Nigerian people are not hungry. However, he may not have used the most accurate medium… It is not to suggest that he looks down on Nigerians or that he does not believe Nigerians are hungry, but he was trying to de-escalate the emphasis of that anchor who was interviewing him…….See More
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