NIPSS: Court Postpones Hearing In PRNigeria Founder’s N1.1bn Case

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 24, 2026, for the hearing of a suit filed by Malam Yushau A. Shuaib, founder of PRNigeria, against the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, over his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47.

The case, initially set for hearing on December 8, 2025, by Justice Binta Nyako, was adjourned to next year without the usual announcement in open court.

The adjournment was, however, reflected in the court’s cause list, which was made available to lawyers and litigants. Those who came to attend the proceedings were reportedly surprised to see the update.

Shuaib filed the suit to challenge what he described as his unlawful and arbitrary withdrawal from SEC 47, despite his admission being approved by President Bola Tinubu and all course requirements, including full payment of N18.3m, being met.

In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025, Shuaib is seeking N1bn in general, special, and aggravated damages for alleged emotional trauma and reputational harm. He is also demanding N100m in litigation costs, claiming that his pre-action notice issued to NIPSS Director General, Professor Ayo Omotayo, on June 16, 2025, was ignored.

Represented by Yunus Abdulsalam, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Shuaib is asking the court to set aside his withdrawal, reinstate him with full rights, benefits, and privileges, and issue a perpetual injunction restraining NIPSS from harassment, intimidation, or cyberbullying.

In his originating summons, Shuaib raised eight key issues, including the alleged misattribution of a PRNigeria article to him, which he claims he neither authored nor endorsed, and the alleged unlawful access to his private email, which he says violated his constitutional right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.

He also argued that disciplinary actions against him for expressing professional opinions breached his right to freedom of expression under Section 39(1), while barring participants from interacting with him and removing him from official platforms amounted to harassment and forced isolation.

Shuaib further claimed that denying him participation in an international study tour, despite full payment, constituted discrimination and a breach of contract. He described his suspension and withdrawal from SEC 47, allegedly for “externalisation of the subject,” as unconstitutional, violating Section 36(1), which guarantees the right to a fair hearing.

In a detailed 40-paragraph affidavit, Shuaib outlined his nomination by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to represent the body at the course, a nomination approved by the President.

He attached evidence of admission, payment, and compliance with NIPSS requirements, including handing over his responsibilities at Image Merchants Promotion Limited, publishers of PRNigeria.

He alleged that despite following all rules, he faced harassment and arbitrary disciplinary actions, citing queries received on March 24 and April 25, 2025, over PRNigeria articles and internal emails, which he said were professional reflections containing no sensitive information.

He further stated that his withdrawal letter, dated June 2, 2025, was only addressed to NIPR and never officially served on him.

Shuaib is seeking court declarations that NIPSS’s actions were unlawful, unjustifiable, discriminatory, and unsupported by any institute regulation, alongside reinstatement into SEC 47 with full privileges.