NIPSS expels participant over published articles

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has officially ordered the withdrawal of the founder of PRNigeria, Yushau Shuaib, from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47, citing “misconduct and disregard for constituted authorities.”

In a letter addressed to the public relations institute that nominated Mr Shuaib for the course, the Director General of NIPSS, Ayo Omotayo, stated that the decision, approved by its management, followed a disciplinary committee’s recommendation to expel Mr Shuaib over alleged breaches of confidentiality and institutional guidelines.

The withdrawal letter signed by Muhammad Suleiman on behalf of the Director General did not specify the exact offences constituting “misconduct.” It concluded by requesting the bank account details to process a prorated refund of Mr Shuaib’s course fee.

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In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Shuaib petitioned President Bola Tinubu over what he described as “unjust, humiliating, and deeply distressing” treatment at the institute.

Mr Shuaib was suspended for six weeks from the SEC 47 allegedly over an article he wrote supporting the president’s Digital and Blue Economy agenda.

Mr Shuaib alleged harassment, cyberbullying, and professional ostracisation —despite claiming full compliance with institutional guidelines.

He further stated that he was abruptly asked to vacate the NIPSS premises following his suspension on 2 May, a move that reportedly shocked his family and colleagues, especially as other participants remained in the programme.

At the time, NIPSS’ Head of Public Affairs Department, Sola Adeyanju, countered Mr Shuaib, saying his case is that of someone who would not allow himself to be subjected to constituted authorities in the institute.

“One of the cardinal rules of the National Institute is to keep whatever is discussed within, particularly during plenary, confidential. This is a rule that all participants have signed to uphold. It is modelled along the Chatham House Rule,” Mr Adeyanju said, adding that the essence is to give all its resource persons the freedom of intellectual and academic independence to speak their minds.

Mr Shuaib argues that he was unfairly queried for innocuous articles, including a news story titled “NIPSS Goes Digital,” which he neither authored nor edited, as well as an opinion piece he authored on the “Blue Economy” that made no mention of NIPSS.

He also cited a discriminatory instruction forbidding him from identifying himself as a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (mnipr) during plenary sessions. “This was particularly baffling,” he said, “since others were freely allowed to use their professional affiliations, including informal titles like ‘Dagger’ and ‘Sword.’”

Additionally, he claims that during a disciplinary panel, he was denied the opportunity to defend himself, with the panel allegedly relying on a rewritten response imposed by A. A. Mustapha on behalf of Nima Mann, the acting director of studies.

The PR practitioner also accused NIPSS of illegally intercepting and accessing a restricted internal PRNigeria editorial email, describing it as a serious breach of digital privacy, cyberbullying, and professional misconduct.

Last month, Mr Adeyanju, a professor, noted that Mr Shuaib violated their rule by publishing what transpired in the institute. “He actually got it wrong by insinuating that he meant well,” Mr Adeyanju said, dismissing Mr Shuaib’s defence that the article was published to support the president. “The truth is, the content is immaterial, the act of publishing when you are not supposed to is what matters,” NIPSS said.

The institute added that Mr Shuaib published an article on the “theme of the study given to the Senior Executive Participants of SEC 47, 2025, and NIPSS,” which he belonged to, using his byline.

“The study is still ongoing and should not, by any imagination, be published, in part or full, until the Course is over. This is in flagrant violation of the rules for which he was appropriately queried for the second time.”

Meanwhile, Mr Shuaib had revealed that despite paying the full N18.2 million course fee, he was excluded from SEC 47’s international study tours and officially alienated from other participants. He attributes psychological distress from the ordeal that led to a hypertension diagnosis at the institute’s clinic.

In his appeal to President Tinubu, Mr Shuaib seeks an independent investigation into the disciplinary process and alleged cyber-privacy violations. He also requests a review of his suspension and exclusion, along with the establishment of a clear communication policy for NIPSS participants.

Apart from criticising the alleged “excessive militarisation” of the academic environment at NIPSS, he also highlighted what he said was the institute’s lack of a defined communication policy, leaving participants without clear guidance on what constitutes public, restricted, or classified information in social or media engagements.

When contacted about the development on Sunday, Mr Shuaib stated that NIPSS had not provided any updates on his status for nearly two months since his suspension, despite his awareness of prior attempts to expel him. “I’m still expecting their correspondence to me directly, as they stated in the suspension letter they addressed to me about two months ago,” Mr Shuaib said. (PREMIUM TIMES)