Breaking News:Bwala Slams Arise TV Over Wike’s Award, Questions Media Integrity
The Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has criticized Arise Television for awarding the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, despite its past criticisms of him.
Bwala expressed his displeasure during an appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, where he challenged the credibility of the station’s decision. Responding to anchor Rufai Oseni’s inquiry about his own change of stance regarding President Tinubu’s administration, Bwala defended his position, stating that his perspectives evolved after engaging with the President.
Oseni, however, countered that Bwala’s shift in stance suggested a lack of conviction. In response, Bwala fired back at the TV station’s inconsistency, saying, “Everyday Wike Wike Wike and you went on to nominate him as the best Minister of the year, that shows you’re not a station of convictions.”
Oseni defended the award, clarifying that it was based on votes from readers of THISDAY Newspaper and viewers of ARISE NEWS Channel rather than the station’s editorial stance.
Wike was named Minister of the Year 2024 by Thisday Newspaper and Arise Television, with the award presented during a ceremony at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos, on January 27, 2025.
Bwala’s remarks have since sparked a debate on media credibility and journalistic objectivity, as he himself had previously been a vocal critic of President Tinubu. Before his appointment, Bwala was a spokesman for the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and had accused Tinubu of electoral malpractice and questioned his moral legitimacy.
With this latest controversy, questions linger about the role of the media in political discourse and the consistency of political figures in their public statements.