By UMAR FAROUK BALA

The recent experience of Mallam Yushau Shuaib, the respected founder of PRNigeria, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, was not just shocking?it was profoundly disheartening. What was meant to be a prestigious engagement with Nigeria?s foremost policy institute became, for him, an ordeal marked by exclusion and institutional opacity.

While the public has seen only fragments of what transpired?such as his suspension following harmless and positive media reports on Nigeria?s digital and blue economy?it is the untold layers of this episode that are most troubling. Mr. Shuaib disclosed that even though he was suspended for nearly two months before his unwarranted expulsion, he was never formally notified of the duration or conditions. He only discovered, through media coverage, that he had been withdrawn?an action NIPSS belatedly tried to justify through its spokesperson, Professor Sola Adeyanju.

Most disturbing, however, was the unauthorised interception of PRNigeria?s official email account by NIPSS officials. It was allegedly used to issue a query to Mr. Shuaib without his consent, raising serious concerns about cyber intrusion, privacy violations, and institutional abuse of power.

As an alumnus of the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship, I joined other Fellows?led by Salim Yunusa?on a solidarity visit to Mr. Yushau Shuaib in Abuja, not only to express our support but also to congratulate him on the recent shortlisting of the Fellowship programme for prestigious honours at this year?s Public Relations Awards. The programme was recognised at the African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference and nominated for the Golden World Awards by the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), whose nomination certificates he graciously shared with us.

During our visit, Mr. Shuaib, though initially reserved, eventually opened up reluctantly about his ordeal at NIPSS. His account revealed a disturbing chain of events that left us questioning whether the esteemed policy institute still lives up to its mandate of nurturing national leadership?or if it has sadly devolved into a theatre of institutional intimidation.

To his credit, Mr. Shuaib refrained from criticising NIPSS as an institution, its leadership, or its alumni. Instead, he voiced his disappointment over the conduct of a few Directing Staff?most of whom, he pointed out, are arrogant and not permanent faculty members. He emphasised that participants in the Senior Executive Course (SEC 47), like those before them, are already accomplished professionals?Directors, Chief Executives, and senior figures in both the public and private sectors?who should not be subjected to demeaning treatment under the guise of mentorship.

?These participants are not novices in need of basic grooming,? he remarked. ?In fact, many are more accomplished and globally exposed than some of the Directing Staff themselves, whose own conduct often reveals a lack of training in emotional intelligence, human relations, and professional courtesy.?

He noted pointedly: ?The ?mni? badge should symbolise more than prestige. It should embody strategic thinking and a commitment to national service.?

He recounted how a handful of individuals within the Directing Staff allegedly orchestrated a campaign to undermine him. During the Abuja leg of the Institutional Study Tour in April, co-led by Barrister Nima Salman Mann and Rear Admiral A.A. Mustapha, Shuaib facilitated a rescheduled meeting at a federal investment ministry through his personal contact?the Permanent Secretary, a career diplomat. However, during an informal introductory chat, a NIPSS Directing Staff member openly cautioned the diplomat, declaring, ?We don?t allow our hosts to fraternise with participants!??a comment that cast an appalling cloud over the visit, as if the participants were inmates rather than senior executives.

Worse still, when another Directing Staff member berated the group for not asking ?enough questions,? a participant who respectfully sought clarification afterwards was reportedly met with vulgar, unprofessional language. Such misconduct is unbecoming of any academic institution, let alone one tasked with nurturing Nigeria?s strategic thinkers.

In a formal petition to the Inspector General of Police over the alleged cybercrime, Mr. Shuaib named Barrister Nima Salman Mann, Rear Admiral A.A. Mustapha, and Professor Elias Wahab as those behind the queries and on the intercepted email. It is mind-boggling that a lawyer, a senior military officer, and a scholar would reportedly target a communications professional over advocacy efforts that have not only promoted national interests but could earn global recognition. One is left to wonder?was it envy? Or were they acting on behalf of some invisible hand?

This experience stands in stark contrast to what I?and other participants?experienced under the PRNigeria Fellowship. At our training centres in Abuja, Kano, and Ilorin, we were never made to feel small. We were seen as contributors, not subordinates. Our sessions featured dignitaries like Professor Ali Isa Pantami, Dr. Ike Neliaku (President of NIPR), NUJ?s immediate past President Chris Isiguzo, and the DG of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Ndace, among other personalities. We also visited strategic institutions such as the Nigeria Customs Service, NTA, Daily Trust Headquarters, among others, gaining hands-on experience and real-world insights.

We were mentored with compassion, challenged intellectually, and encouraged to voice our ideas. Despite the programme being tuition-free, we were fed, respected, and even rewarded. Top-performing Fellows from each centre received scholarships to the PR Finishing School. Two Fellows, Kabir Ali Fagge and Haroon Aremu Abiodun, who co-authored a book during their NYSC service at PRNigeria Centre, were granted postgraduate scholarships. Today, they are pursuing their Master?s degrees at one of Nigeria?s top universities, offering Mass Communication.

Contrast that with Mr. Shuaib?s NIPSS experience, where he paid N18.2 million for a policy leadership course, only to be sidelined from group activities, denied access to essential communication tools, and suspended without official explanation. Worse still, the wishy-washy rejoinder issued by NIPSS Spokesperson, Prof Adeyanju, claimed the suspension was for six weeks, yet the official letter stated no such duration?an inconsistency that highlights procedural incompetence and lack of transparency by the officials.

These troubling developments raise critical questions about the integrity and purpose of the institution. What kind of strategic policy institute punishes a participant for engaging in public policy commentary? Why would a national think tank?tasked with fostering thought leadership?resort to surveillance, secrecy, and retroactive justifications? And how can an institute that claims to groom future national leaders be so intolerant of intellectual diversity and dissenting viewpoints?

Across the globe, true think tanks are celebrated for openness, rigorous debate, and respect for divergent views. If NIPSS wishes to retain its standing as a credible continental institution, it must rise above pettiness, suppressive tendencies, and toxic internal politics.

The PRNigeria Fellowship has, in less than a year, modeled what 21st-century leadership training should embody?respect, integrity, innovation, and empathy. It has produced changemakers, empowered young communicators, and fostered excellence without coercion.

For many of us Fellows, the humiliation meted out to Mr. Shuaib is not just unjust?it is personal. This is a man who has, with humility and selflessness, mentored hundreds of young professionals. He deserves better. And Nigeria deserves better from its institutions.

Rather than alienate one of the country?s finest communicators, NIPSS should reflect on how it treats those within its care. Because institutional greatness is not built by history or reputation alone?it is earned by how it treats people, especially in moments of disagreement.

I therefore call on the newly appointed Chairman of the NIPSS Governing Board, Senator Ken Nnamani, to encourage the Director-General, Professor Ayo Omotayo, to steer the Institute away from its increasingly militarised and authoritarian approach to participant engagement. Instead, NIPSS should take a cue from the PRNigeria Fellowship model?one that upholds dignity, intellectual freedom, and mentorship rooted in respect, not intimidation. If NIPSS is truly committed to grooming strategic leaders, it must reflect the very values it seeks to instill.

?Umar Farouk Bala is a campus journalism award (CJA) winner and a First Class graduate of Political Science and International Relations. He can be reached at umarfaroukofficial@gmail.com

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