Yushau A. Shuaib, managing director of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), has turned personal adversity into intellectual triumph with two companion books: MNI versus MNIPR in NIPSS: Tackling Institutional Bullying and AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects. The memoir chronicles his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, and the subsequent NIPR investigation, while the AI book, born from an interrupted research project, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece.
From Institutional Conflict to Professional Opportunity
According to the memoir, shortly after his withdrawal from SEC 47, Shuaib was summoned before the Ethics Panel of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Council over actions arising from the dispute. For a professional with over three decades of association with the institute, the experience was deeply painful. Shuaib's relationship with NIPR dates back to his undergraduate days at Bayero University, Kano, where in 1992 he became the first recipient of the NIPR President's Prize for the Best Graduating Public Relations Student. Three years later, he was honoured as the Kano/Jigawa Chapter's Public Relations Person of the Year.
His career expanded internationally with a Master's degree in Public Relations from the University of Westminster, London, and affiliations with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). Under his leadership, IMPR earned multiple global recognitions, including SABRE Awards Africa and IPRA Golden World Awards.
The Symbolism of a Title and the NIPR Betrayal
One seemingly minor incident in the memoir carries symbolic weight. The NIPR invitation reportedly addressed Shuaib as "ANIPR" instead of "MNIPR," the designation he had used for years. After he raised the issue, another invitation omitted any designation altogether. This deepened his perception that his contributions were no longer acknowledged. The memoir also details the termination of the National Spokespersons Awards partnership by the Ike Neliaku-led NIPR, which subsequently launched a different awards platform. Shuaib writes: "Organisations can withdraw endorsements. Partnerships can be terminated. Titles can be withheld. But one's name — carefully built over decades — must remain answerable first to conscience, history and truth."
A Blessed Disappointment: Healing and New Beginnings
Chapter Nine, "A Blessed Disappointment," chronicles how the crisis led to hypertension, a first for Shuaib. He reflects: "As someone who had spent decades helping individuals and institutions navigate reputational crises, I suddenly found myself at the centre of one." However, the chapter focuses on recovery and new opportunities. Family support inspired a restorative vacation in Canada, and visits from Young Communication Fellowship graduates reinforced the message: "True success is not measured by certificates, titles or institutional recognition. It is measured by the positive impact one leaves in the lives of others."
The NIPSS experience unexpectedly strengthened his vision for expanding the Young Communication Fellowship. Inspired by NIPSS's residential model, he planned hostel facilities at PRNigeria Centres in Kano and Ilorin. During a visit to the Kano Centre, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, President of MAAUN, donated a large building in Lugbe, Abuja, for the Fellowship's training and residential centre.
From Abandoned Research to International Recognition
The most compelling narrative concerns the AI research project. Originally approved during SEC 47 as "Artificial Intelligence and Crisis Communication in Nigeria's Public Sector: An Assessment," the institutional framework disappeared after Shuaib's withdrawal. Encouraged by colleagues at the Centre for Crisis Communication, he completed the study independently within three months. The research identified Nigeria's "awareness-adoption gap": while many professionals are familiar with AI, institutional use is limited to drafting documents and media monitoring, with advanced applications like predictive analytics and sentiment analysis underutilised. The study also highlights a "trust paradox," where professionals remain cautious about AI due to deepfakes, misinformation, and the need for human empathy.
The research informed discussions at the Centre for Crisis Communication and NITDA, contributing to the National Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Crisis Communication at the National Defence College, Abuja, in November 2025. One outcome was the establishment of the Crisis Communication Hub (CCHub). The research evolved into the 200-page book AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria, endorsed by NITDA Director-General Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Major General Chris Olukolade (Rtd), Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, and Professor Abiodun Adeniyi. Its shortlisting for the 2026 IPRA Golden World Awards marks a remarkable achievement.
Institutions Do Not Own Ideas
The memoir's closing reflection captures its essence: "Institutions may grant opportunities, but they do not own ideas. Once knowledge becomes a mission, it acquires a life of its own. No withdrawal letter can take that away." This sentence summarises the relationship between the memoir and the AI book, telling a story of an interrupted journey that reached far beyond its origins. Kabir Abdulsalam, Associate Editor of Spokespersons Digest, notes that the two books are companion volumes, demonstrating how personal adversity can become intellectual opportunity.
