PRNigeria Founder Loses Court Case, Plans to Appeal

Yushau Shuaib, the founder of PRNigeria and CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, has said he will appeal a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja. The court dismissed his ₦1 billion lawsuit against the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State. This lawsuit was about his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47.

Justice Binta Nyako delivered the judgment on Monday. She ruled that NIPSS acted properly by using its disciplinary powers after finding that Shuaib had broken its confidentiality rules.

The court said that Shuaib, by apologizing on behalf of PRNigeria for a publication that upset the Institute, admitted he did something wrong. Justice Nyako also stated that Shuaib could not claim he was denied a fair hearing since he had appeared before NIPSS's disciplinary committee to answer the accusations against him before any action was taken.

The judge mentioned that Shuaib was bound by the oath of secrecy he took upon joining the Senior Executive Course. He had to follow the Institute's rules during the program.

After the ruling, Shuaib expressed his disappointment. He believes the judgment did not separate his personal actions from the editorial freedom of PRNigeria. He said that he had officially stepped back from daily editorial duties at PRNigeria before returning to NIPSS.

Shuaib argued that it was unfair to hold him personally responsible for what an independent media organization published, which he did not write or edit while he was in the course.

He also criticized the judgment for not addressing what he sees as a key issue in his case. This is the alleged illegal access to his private email. He was surprised that the court said this issue was not properly presented, even though he argued that his right to privacy was violated.

Shuaib plans to continue the legal fight. He said he will promptly appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal. "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 stated.

Shuaib filed the lawsuit on 7 July 2025 after NIPSS withdrew him from SEC 47. He sought declarations that the Institute acted unlawfully, unconstitutionally, and violated his fundamental rights.

His lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025 and filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Yunus Abdulsalam, asked for ₦1 billion in general, special, and aggravated damages for emotional distress and damage to his reputation from his withdrawal. He also sought ₦100 million for legal costs after he sent a notice on 16 June 2025 to NIPSS's Director-General, Ayo Omotayo, which he said received no reply.

Among the reliefs he wanted, Shuaib asked the court to cancel his withdrawal from SEC 47, reinstate him, and stop NIPSS from further harassment or intimidation.

In his original summons, Shuaib raised eight legal questions. He argued that the publications by PRNigeria, an independent media organization, could not be linked to him as personal misconduct. He also asked if NIPSS violated his right to privacy by allegedly accessing his private emails without his permission.

Additionally, he argued that the disciplinary actions against him for professional opinions expressed in an editorial violated his freedom of expression as stated in Section 39 of the Constitution. He also claimed that being excluded from official communications, denied participation in the international study tour despite paying ₦18.3 million in fees, and his eventual withdrawal from the course were acts of discrimination and breach of contract.

In a 40-paragraph affidavit, Shuaib explained that he was nominated for SEC 47 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved this nomination. He informed the court that he met all requirements, including handing over his media organization before starting at NIPSS.

According to him, his problems began on 24 March 2025 when he received a query about a PRNigeria article titled "NIPSS Goes Digital; Launches Paperless Platform after Submitting Landmark Report to President Tinubu." He noted that he did not write or edit that report, and similar stories were published by other media outlets.

On 25 April 2025, NIPSS queried him about an internal email concerning an opinion piece titled "Understanding the Blue in the Blue Economy." He described this as a professional reflection that did not contain any confidential information.

Shuaib also claimed that the withdrawal letter dated 2 June 2025 was sent to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and not delivered to him directly. Despite the setback at the Federal High Court, he remains determined to pursue the case in the Court of Appeal. He believes the court will thoroughly review the constitutional, contractual, and privacy issues he raised.