PRESS STATEMENT
In the last 24 hours, social media has exploded over my interview with Mehdi Hassan, albeit with varied opinions. Let me set the record straight.
When I signed on to the privileged job granted to me by Mr. President, I was well aware of its implications. Selling ice cream, looking fine, and seeking the praises of men were never part of it. Some of the fiercest critics of my interview can not even stand local TV anchors. But the task of promoting and defending the President and his administration is what I do with ease and joy. I am prepared to appear before any interviewer, anywhere in the world, any day and at any time, to defend this government and its policies.
I have never, and will never, subscribe to ducking or dodging interviews on matters that concern promoting and defending the administration I was appointed to serve. It is the least of what is required of me.
Head to Head contacted me requesting an interview, stating that they wanted to challenge our government on security, the economy, and corruption. Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past. If that had been their plan, ethically and professionally, they were supposed to inform me so I could prepare my response. But that’s okay, ethically, that is on them, not on me.
I refused to swallow the pill of Mehdi’s “opposition research-style journalism,” and even today, if you carefully compare what he read as quotes from organisations and groups, you will see that many were inaccurate and some were outright fake news. But I will leave that for another day.
As for what I said about President Tinubu in the past, I am glad those were things I said when I was in the opposition saddle with such zeal. It is all politics. Half of Donald Trump’s cabinet is made up of people who once spoke against him, and quite a number of people in our own cabinet also spoke against President Tinubu in the past. Those things do not bother him if you care to know.
The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathisers. It does not bother me one bit. Their temporary excitement over the interview has not lasted and will not last, because it does not take away their obvious problem of lack of vision, mission in conducting and managing a political party; yet they seek to manage Nigeria. Clearly they have no path to victory and no alternative policies or program for the Nigerian people. And if they say they do, they can as well go to head to head and be interrogated on that; as the saying in Hausa goes “Ga fili Ga doki”
I conclude by thanking the many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who sent in their commendations over my brave defence of our government in an interview where the anchor would hardly let you answer a question unless it suited his narrative.
I still have admiration and respect for Mehdi Hassan as arguably the best debater on the planet. I look forward to part two of the Head to Head interview, and I am glad that by then questions about my past will no longer be news so that we can focus on our administration’s policies, programs and what we have achieved so far.
Stay tuned.
– D.H Bwala
Special Adviser to President on Media and Policy Communication
(State House)
Saturday March 7, 2026
16 BANKS THAT HAVE MET CBN’S RECAPITALISATION REQUIREMENTS
1 Access Holdings (Access Bank)
2 Zenith Bank
3 United Bank for Africa (UBA)
4 GTBank (Guaranty Trust Bank)
5 Ecobank Nigeria
6 Stanbic IBTC
7 Wema Bank
8 Jaiz Bank
9 Lotus Bank
10 Providus Bank
11 Greenwich Merchant Bank
12 PremiumTrust Bank
13 Sterling Bank
14 Globus Bank
15 Citibank Nigeria
16 Nova Bank
NB:
Capital Requirements:
International banks: ₦500 billion
National banks: ₦200 billion
Regional & merchant banks: ₦50 billion
Non-interest banks: ₦10–20 billion
Deadline: 31st March 2026
#Statisense
(CBN)
*"...Doctors have human face..."*
*"...on no account should the Government allow them to embark on a strike..."*
*"....their welfare demands must be attended to before any other thing...."*
*"...We appeal for full implementation of their demands so that they can call off the strike...."*
🗣️👆🏼 *Nigerians are speaking* 👆🏼 🗣️ 🗣️
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN KANO STATE
Dear Colleagues,
We are closely monitoring unusual health trends across the country, especially an increase in patients with respiratory symptoms and cases not responding to malaria treatment.
The man in the video is likely speaking Kanuri, as suggested by replies to the post. The phrase "Duk wanda baya son ka ginduin uwarsa da ubansa" was mentioned, but I couldn’t find a verified translation despite extensive searches. It may be a Kanuri proverb or saying, possibly related to loyalty or respect, given the context of a cultural event in Makkah during Hajj 2025. The video likely involves Vice President Kashim Shettima, as noted in replies. For an accurate translation, consulting a native Kanuri speaker is recommended.
House Officers are the first resident doctors. They are the first on call, full of energy and hope, often working tirelessly through long shifts—sometimes without even a proper meal. Yet in 2025, many of them are still unpaid for months. This is unacceptable.
In the past 20 years, Nigeria has lost over 20,000 doctors to brain drain, driven by poor welfare and inadequate infrastructure. We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes and expect different outcomes.
We kindly call on the @Fmohnigeria (Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare) to resolve this issue and continue implementing policies that will improve our health systems.
@BashirAhmaad@Kyusufabba So going by this, each local government should have a commissioner before we can say it has a representation at the executive Council
TONSIL STONES : EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ever heard of Tonsils stones?
Imagine that you were talking to someone, and suddenly, the person takes a step back.
Then you code and check your breath, and you notice that it smells like something crawled into your mouth and died inside.
Coincidentally you just had garlic rice, so you brush it off, and blame the rice instead.
Few days later, the bad breath is still there, but ofcourse no garlic rice this time.
This time you can even feel an odd sensation like you have something stuck in your throat.
I’m sorry to announce that if this is you, TONSIL STONES just paid you a visit.
What are they exactly? Come with me 👇