By Peace Udugba
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 needed to govern the country.
Bwala made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, where he criticised the opposition’s approach to the Tinubu administration.
He alleged that opposition parties had failed in the past three years to present Nigerians with a clear alternative policy direction or explain what they would do differently if elected into power.
According to Bwala, “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 accused opposition politicians of concentrating on issues capable of generating public debate instead of presenting concrete policies and alternatives to the government.
“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 also defended President Tinubu’s relationship with governors across political parties, arguing that Federal Government policies and interventions had attracted support from some governors outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He cited governors in Bauchi, Anambra and Abia states as examples, saying governors would naturally support a president whose policies and interventions benefited their states.
According to him, Tinubu’s approach to governance was helping to win political support across party lines, particularly when governors approach the Federal Government for projects and policies that affect their states.
“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 further alleged that previous administrations had used federal powers to punish governors and states controlled by opposition parties.
“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 alleged.
Rejecting claims that Nigeria is gradually becoming a one-party state, Bwala pointed to the number of political parties registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and their participation in elections.
“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.
Bwala also accused opposition politicians of misunderstanding the concept of a one-party state and lacking a clear ideological direction.
“They don’t even know the meaning and the idea behind a one-party state,” he said.
He further alleged that some opposition figures had struggled to explain the ideology behind their political parties despite claiming to have produced manifestos.
“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,” Bwala added.
Summing up his criticism, the presidential aide said, “These guys are desperados. Leave them. They are just content creators. They are not prepared.”
Bwala, however, 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,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu’s vision was to ensure that younger Nigerians were positioned to take over the leadership of the country by the time his administration ends.
“The vision of President Bola Tinubu is that by the time he leaves government, younger people would have taken over the government of Nigeria,” Bwala said.
He pointed to the presence of young people in various positions within the administration as evidence of the President’s approach and expressed confidence in Tinubu’s political future.
Bwala concluded by saying, “This man will run Nigeria as the best President Nigeria has ever had.”
