Bwala fires back at Atiku over revolution warning

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has criticized his former boss, Atiku Abubakar, for warning of a possible hunger protest in the country amid rising hardship and economic difficulties.

Atiku, a former Vice President and multiple-time presidential candidate, had recently warned that the level of hunger in Nigeria could trigger a revolution, claiming the government was doing nothing to change the situation.
But speaking on TVC, Bwala disagreed with Atiku, insisting that available data suggested otherwise.

“National interest far outweighs the former boss or whatever. The most fundamental thing is the issues he has raised. Does he have a valid point?” Bwala said while defending his previous role as Atiku’s spokesman.

Atiku had appointed Bwala as one of his spokesmen in 2023, shortly after Bwala defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He became known for his strong criticism of then APC presidential candidate Tinubu, including questioning his mental fitness.

However, Bwala returned to the APC after Tinubu was declared winner of the election and, following months of lobbying, was appointed a presidential aide.

Responding to Atiku’s claim, Bwala accused his former boss of being out of touch with reality.

“He, Atiku, does not because the data suggests otherwise. And the opposition, what do you expect them to do other than to try and demarket the government in order to create the buzz around what they think?” Bwala said.

“He said we are creating hunger. Is he blind or doesn’t he hear the fact of the progress we have made? For example, he has not been able to contextualize the fact that we have increased foreign reserves.

We have increased net export; we have created a system that has stabilized the economy; he won’t talk about that.

“He won’t talk about the caesarian section we have provided in all the hospitals in Nigeria and how people don’t have to suffer, he won’t talk about that. He should also speak about the fundamentals we have set in place.

Talk is cheap, so whenever somebody says what this person is saying is wrong, ask him to contextualize because you can’t,” Bwala stressed.