Expert Accuses NIPSS Of Institutional Bullying In Personal Memoir

Renowned communications strategist and public relations expert, Yushau  Shuaib,  has lashed out at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State, over what he described as “ institutional bullying”.

Presenting his memoir titled “Mni vs Mnipr in NIPSS: Tackling Institutional Bullying,” yesterday in Abuja, Shuaib addressed the management and staff of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential, Spokespersons Digest, and several other specialised digital media, and members of the media about his ordeal in NIPSS and the need for institutional reforms.

The memoir chronicled his experience at NIPSS, detailing events that culminated in his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC 47). The book recounts his perspective on issues surrounding institutional discipline, freedom of expression, due process, digital privacy, and the responsibilities of leadership institutions.

Shuiab pointed out a myriad of issues that dogged his relationship with the institute, adding that the book also chronicled his efforts to seek legal and regulatory redress for injustice meted out to him in the course of trying to exercise his human rights and to divest the institution of improper practices that diminished the status of people who have enrolled in the renowned institution and the intimidation being recorded in NIPSS.

He said, “Among the issues discussed are my allegation that private email correspondence belonging to my media organisation was unlawfully accessed during disciplinary proceedings; the attribution to me of authorship of a publication I maintain I neither wrote nor endorsed; and my contention that expressions of institutional regret were misconstrued as admissions of misconduct.”

The memoir also examined the role played by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), including the termination of its Memorandum of Understanding with IMPR following the controversy.

According to Shuaib, the memoir captured his efforts to seek legal and regulatory redress, stressing that most regrettably, despite formally petitioning both the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) over the alleged cybercrime involving the interception of his private email, no action has been taken against the named suspects more than a year after the petitions were submitted.

“This experience reflects a broader concern about institutional accountability. It mirrors two other unresolved matters I have pursued through the courts for over three years: the alleged unlawful freezing of IMPR’s corporate account by Access Bank and my defamation suit against Mr Terrence Kuanum over the publication of an article falsely portraying me as a “mastermind” and “on the payroll of terrorists.”

“In each case, I reported the matters to the appropriate authorities and sought judicial redress, yet meaningful resolution has remained elusive. These experiences have reinforced my conviction that justice delayed not only affects individuals but can also erode public confidence in institutions established to uphold the rule of law,” he said.

Spanning 205 pages, the memoir is a personal account of institutional accountability, leadership, resilience, and the pursuit of justice.  The book stimulates meaningful conversations on governance, organisational culture, due process, and respect for fundamental rights within public institutions.

The book reviewer, Haruna Abdullahi, editor-in-chief of World Entourage, said the book presentation is not merely a review of a memoir but an engagement with a profound institutional question.

Abdullahi, who titled his review “The Cult of Compliance at Kuru: Yushau Shuaib and the NIPSS Conundrum,” noted that the book is a compelling anchor for interrogating the delicate balance between discipline and intellectual freedom within Nigeria’s highest policy institution.

He said, “The work chronicles the experiences of Yushau Shuaib, an accomplished public relations practitioner and internationally acclaimed communications strategist, during his participation in the Senior Executive Course of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.

“What begins as a narrative of professional fulfilment gradually unfolds into a disturbing account of institutional rigidity, disciplinary excesses, and the struggle between personal professional integrity and organisational conformity.”

He added that one of the presentation’s greatest strengths is its refusal to reduce the story to a personal grievance. Rather, it elevates the discussion into a broader examination of institutional culture. He emphasised that the book challenges readers to ask whether leadership institutions should produce compliant followers or independent thinkers capable of questioning orthodoxy and shaping national policy through robust debate.

“The presentation carefully reconstructs the sequence of events—from Shuaib’s nomination, his enormous financial and professional investment in the programme, to the avalanche of disciplinary queries that ultimately culminated in litigation.

“Throughout this journey, the central issue remains constant: should an individual be held personally liable for editorial decisions taken by an independent newsroom after he had formally relinquished editorial control?

“Beyond this legal question lies an even more compelling institutional concern. The memoir paints a picture of an environment in which obedience appeared to have greater institutional value than intellectual disagreement.

“Descriptions of repeated summonses, compulsory apologies, public disciplinary announcements and expectations of unquestioning compliance invite serious reflection about the culture of leadership development at Kuru,” he said.