The Founder of PRNigeria, Malam Yushau A. Shuaib, has filed a lawsuit against the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, over his withdrawal from the ongoing Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47.
In the suit, marked THC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025 and filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, Shuaib is demanding ₦1 billion in damages for alleged emotional trauma and reputational harm, in addition to ₦100 million as litigation costs. He claims that a pre-action notice served on the Director General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, on June 16, 2025, was ignored.
Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Yunus Abdulsalam, Shuaib is seeking an order to set aside his withdrawal from SEC 47, reinstate him with full benefits, and grant a perpetual injunction restraining NIPSS or its officials from further harassment or intimidation.
In his originating summons, the public relations expert raised eight key issues, including alleged breaches of his constitutional rights to privacy (Section 37), freedom of expression (Section 39(1)), and fair hearing (Section 36(1)). He argued that disciplinary actions against him were based on media articles he neither authored nor endorsed and that NIPSS unlawfully accessed his private emails.
Shuaib further alleged that he was unfairly barred from participating in the course’s international study tour despite paying ₦18.3 million in fees, describing the action as discriminatory and a breach of contract. He claimed that his withdrawal letter, dated June 2, 2025, was addressed only to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), which had nominated him for the course, but was never officially served on him.
In a 40-paragraph affidavit, the plaintiff detailed instances of alleged harassment and arbitrary disciplinary actions. He cited queries issued over a PRNigeria report titled “NIPSS Goes Digital; Launches Paperless Platform after Submitting Landmark Report to President Tinubu” and an editorial draft on the “Blue Economy,” which NIPSS reportedly intercepted before publication.
Shuaib is therefore asking the court to declare his suspension and withdrawal unlawful, unjustifiable, and discriminatory, as well as to reinstate him to the course with full rights and privileges.
The case is yet to be assigned a hearing date by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.