Nigerian PR Expert's NIPSS Setback Fuels Award-Winning AI Book on Crisis Communication
Yushau A. Shuaib, CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), transformed his withdrawal from NIPSS Senior Executive Course 47 and subsequent NIPR Ethics Panel investigation into two companion books: memoir 'MNI versus MNIPR in NIPSS' detailing institutional conflicts, and 'AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects' born from aborted NIPSS research. The AI book, completed independently in three months after his NIPSS exit, identifies Nigeria's 'awareness-adoption gap' in AI use for crisis work and warns of a 'trust paradox' where professionals fear deepfakes and bias despite efficiency gains. It informed NITDA discussions, contributed to the National Symposium on AI and Crisis Communication at National Defence College Abuja in November 2025, and helped establish the Crisis Communication Hub (CCHub). Most recently, the book was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece. Shuaib's core insight—institutions grant opportunities but don't own ideas; once knowledge becomes a mission, it acquires its own life—shows how interrupted academic journeys can yield national and international impact beyond institutional walls. For Nigerian professionals facing setbacks, this demonstrates that resilience transforms disappointment into lasting contribution when ideas outlive the institutions that first nurtured them. What professional setback in your journey could become the catalyst for your next significant contribution?