The NIPSS experience, as recounted in this memoir, serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when leadership development becomes divorced from its foundational principles. An institute that cannot treat its participants — distinguished professionals in their own right — with respect and dignity cannot credibly claim to be developing leaders for the nation. When the pursuit of knowledge is subjugated to the exercise of petty authority, everyone loses.
I recently received two books by award-winning PR practitioner and PRNigeria publisher Yushau A. Shuaib – MNI Versus MNIPR in NIPSS: Tackling Institutional Bullying and AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria. Of the two, the NIPSS memoir immediately stood out.
By the nature of his private business and the exorbitant course fee, Shuaib begins by acknowledging that he reluctantly accepted his nomination by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to attend Senior Executive Course 47 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). The programme demanded a substantial financial commitment, including a ₦18.5 million fee, which he says he was only able to raise through the support of several institutions and high‑level offices.
