Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has described Nigeria’s opposition politicians as “desperados” and “content creators”, accusing them of lacking the ideas and preparedness required to govern the country.
Bwala made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
He criticised opposition parties for allegedly failing to present Nigerians with a clear alternative to the policies of the Tinubu administration despite having had about three years to do so.
According to Bwala, the opposition had concentrated more on issues capable of generating public debate than on offering concrete policy proposals.
“The opposition in Nigeria, they are lazy. They don’t have a job. That’s why in the past three years, they have never been able, and up till today, to tell Nigerians one thing that they will do differently from what we are doing,” he said.
Bwala added that opposition politicians routinely seize on controversial issues without demonstrating how they would address the country’s challenges differently.
“What they do is every optic that flies in the air that tends to create a talking point, whether it is right or wrong, they keep talking about it,” he said.
Bwala defends Tinubu’s relationship with opposition governors
The presidential aide also defended President Tinubu’s relationship with governors belonging to opposition political parties, arguing that federal policies and interventions had earned the administration support across party lines.
He cited Bauchi, Anambra and Abia states as examples, saying governors would naturally cooperate with a president whose policies and interventions benefited their states.
According to him, Tinubu’s approach to governance had helped build relationships with politicians outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“You will ask yourself, why should I be against a man who is after my interest? Is it in the very essence of democracy? That is the style President Tinubu is using to win people around him,” Bwala said.
He argued that the opposition was frustrated by the growing cooperation between the federal government and politicians from other parties because, in his view, some opposition politicians failed to deliver when they previously controlled the government.
‘Previous governments punished opposition states’
Bwala also accused previous administrations of using federal authority to punish governors and states controlled by opposition parties.
He specifically referenced Lagos State, alleging that the state had suffered politically motivated restrictions under previous governments.
“In their time, do you know what they were doing? If a governor said something they didn’t like, they would remove him. Lagos State suffered and didn’t get any kobo from the local government council that was created. They used all these things to punish their people,” he said.
Bwala rejected claims that Nigeria was drifting towards a one-party state, arguing that the continued existence of multiple registered political parties and their participation in elections contradicted such assertions.
“Do you know how many parties are registered with INEC? Do you know how many parties are going into the election? The election in Osun, is it a one-party election?” he asked.
He further accused some opposition figures of misunderstanding the concept of a one-party state.
“They don’t even know the meaning and the idea behind a one-party state,” Bwala said.
Bwala demands new generation of politicians
The presidential aide also questioned the ideological clarity of opposition parties, alleging that some politicians had struggled to explain the principles underpinning their parties despite claiming to have produced manifestos.
He cited an unnamed opposition politician who, according to him, struggled to explain his party’s ideology during a television appearance.
“They even say they sat together and produced a manifesto. And when the man went to TV and they asked him what the ideology of his party was, he was still stammering,” he said.
Bwala concluded his criticism by describing opposition politicians as “desperados” and “content creators,” insisting that they were not prepared to govern.
“These guys are desperados. Leave them. They are just content creators. They are not prepared,” he said.
However, he called for a new generation of Nigerian politicians with fresh ideas, saying the Tinubu administration was creating opportunities for younger people to take up leadership positions.
“We need a new generation of politicians that will come with ideas,” Bwala said.
He added that Tinubu’s vision was to ensure that younger Nigerians increasingly took over political leadership before the end of his administration.
“The vision of President Bola Tinubu is that by the time he leaves government, younger people would have taken over the government of Nigeria,” he said.
Bwala pointed to the presence of young people in various positions within the administration as evidence of the president’s approach and expressed confidence that Tinubu would secure a second term.
“That’s why, if you look at his government, you see young people in various positions. This man will run Nigeria as the best President Nigeria has ever had,” he said.
