Tinubu’s aide Bwala defends government, rejects corruption claims

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has defended the administration’s economic reforms and rejected claims that corruption remains widespread in Nigeria.

Bwala spoke during an interview with Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan, where he responded to criticism surrounding a remark attributed to President Tinubu suggesting that corruption had been eliminated in the country.

Hasan challenged the claim, citing Transparency International reports that indicate systemic corruption persists in several sectors, including defence and security.

“President Tinubu said in August there is no more corruption in Nigeria. That’s a ridiculous thing to say, is it not?” Hasan asked during the interview.

Responding, Bwala insisted that the Tinubu administration is committed to tackling corruption across government institutions.

“We investigate any case of corruption, not just in the defence sector but anywhere in government,” Bwala said.

“This administration has had people in government either sacked, investigated, or prosecuted. The resolve of our administration in dealing with corruption is obvious.”

When pressed on the president’s earlier statement, Bwala argued that the comment had been taken out of context, explaining that Tinubu was referring to reforms introduced after the removal of fuel subsidy and efforts to curb corruption in the oil sector.

However, Hasan disagreed, maintaining that the president did not specifically mention the oil industry in the quoted statement and that the remark had attracted criticism within Nigeria.

The interview became more heated when Hasan questioned Tinubu’s appointment of Abubakar Bagudu as Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.

Hasan referenced allegations linked to the late military ruler Sani Abacha, noting that the United States Department of Justice previously accused Bagudu and others of involvement in the misappropriation of billions of dollars during the Abacha regime.

He also pointed out that Bagudu returned $163 million as part of a settlement.

“How can Nigerians take Tinubu seriously on eliminating corruption when he appoints someone like Bagudu to manage the country’s budget?” Hasan asked.

In response, Bwala argued that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, stressing that decisions by foreign courts do not automatically bind Nigeria’s judiciary.“The decision of the court in the United States does not bind the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he said.