The Founder of PRNigeria and Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, Yushau Shuaib, has vowed to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissing his ₦1 billion suit against the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State, over his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course 47.
Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment delivered on Monday, dismissed Shuaib’s suit, holding that NIPSS acted within its disciplinary powers after finding that he breached the institute’s confidentiality rules.
The court held that Shuaib, by apologising on behalf of PRNigeria over a publication considered offensive by the institute, had effectively admitted wrongdoing.
Justice Nyako also ruled that the public relations practitioner could not claim denial of fair hearing, having appeared before NIPSS’s disciplinary committee to respond to allegations before disciplinary action was taken.
The judge further held that Shuaib was bound by the oath of secrecy and confidentiality he subscribed to upon admission into the Senior Executive Course and was obligated to comply with the institute’s rules throughout the programme.
Reacting to the judgment, Shuaib expressed disappointment, insisting that the decision failed to distinguish between his personal conduct and the editorial independence of PRNigeria.
He maintained that before resuming at NIPSS, he had formally disengaged from the day-to-day editorial management of PRNigeria by handing over operational responsibilities in compliance with the institute’s admission requirements.
According to him, it was unjust to hold him personally liable for publications by an independent media organisation which he said he neither authored nor edited during his participation in the course.
Shuaib also faulted the judgment for allegedly failing to make pronouncements on what he described as a central issue in the suit — the alleged unlawful access to his private email communications.
He said he was surprised that the court held that the issue was not properly placed before it despite his contention that his constitutional right to privacy had been violated.
Declaring his intention to continue the legal battle, Shuaib said the judgment would be challenged at the Court of Appeal without delay.
“While I respect the judgment of the Federal High Court, I firmly believe there are substantial constitutional and legal issues that deserve appellate review. In the interest of justice, fairness and the protection of fundamental rights, we shall be approaching the Court of Appeal without delay,” he said.
Shuaib instituted the suit on July 7, 2025, after NIPSS withdrew him from the Senior Executive Course 47.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025, filed by Yunus Abdulsalam, SAN, Shuaib sought declarations that the institute acted unlawfully, unconstitutionally and in breach of his fundamental rights.
He also claimed ₦1 billion in general, special and aggravated damages for alleged emotional trauma and reputational injury arising from his withdrawal from the programme.
Shuaib further sought ₦100 million as litigation costs, after serving a pre-action notice dated June 16, 2025, on the Director-General of NIPSS, Ayo Omotayo, which he claimed received no response.
Among the reliefs sought, he asked the court to set aside his withdrawal from SEC 47, order his reinstatement with full rights and privileges, and restrain NIPSS from further acts of alleged harassment, intimidation or cyberbullying.
In his originating summons, Shuaib raised eight constitutional and legal questions, arguing that publications by PRNigeria, an independent media organisation, could not lawfully be attributed to him as personal misconduct.
He also asked the court to determine whether NIPSS violated his right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution by allegedly accessing and using his private email correspondence without his consent.
He further argued that disciplinary measures taken against him over professional opinions expressed in an editorial amounted to a violation of his right to freedom of expression under Section 39 of the Constitution.
Shuaib also alleged that his exclusion from official communication platforms, denial of participation in the institute’s international study tour despite payment of ₦18.3 million course fees, and eventual withdrawal from the programme amounted to discrimination, breach of contract and denial of fair hearing.
In a 40-paragraph supporting affidavit, he stated that he was nominated by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations to participate in SEC 47, with the nomination later approved by President Bola Tinubu.
He told the court that he complied with all admission requirements, including formally handing over the management of his media organisation before resuming at NIPSS.
According to him, his ordeal began on March 24, 2025, when he received a query over a PRNigeria publication titled, “NIPSS Goes Digital; Launches Paperless Platform after Submitting Landmark Report to President Tinubu.”
He maintained that he neither authored nor edited the report, adding that similar stories had been published by several other media organisations.
He further alleged that on April 25, 2025, NIPSS queried him over an internal editorial email concerning an opinion article titled, “Understanding the Blue in the Blue Economy,” which he described as a professional reflection that contained no classified or confidential information.
Shuaib also claimed that the withdrawal letter dated June 2, 2025, was addressed to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and was not officially served on him personally.
Despite the Federal High Court’s decision, Shuaib said he remains determined to pursue the matter through the appellate process, expressing confidence that the Court of Appeal would examine the constitutional, contractual, privacy and fair-hearing issues raised in the case.
The post “NIPSS Acted Within Its Disciplinary Powers” — Court Dismisses Shuaib’s ₦1bn Suit, Rules Oath Of Secrecy Bound SEC 47 Participant appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
