At 56, Yushau A Shuaib stands tall as one of Nigeria’s most influential communicators — a bridge between the government and the governed, between the media and the military, between public perception and truth. For over three decades, he has remained a pillar of ethical communication and a defender of the nation’s image, often at personal cost.
Recently, I was featured on a podcast hosted by one of Nigeria’s finest solutions journalists, Misbahu El-Hamza — the founder of Fitila Podcast, a YouTube-based platform dedicated to shedding light on social issues and proposing strategic solutions.
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During our over one-hour conversation on media literacy and the menace of information disorder, Misbahu asked a question that struck a deep chord: “What inspired you to write the book 101 Fake News on EndSARS?”
It was a simple question — yet profoundly reflective. My answer took me five years back, to a story of mentorship, guidance, and inspiration from one man who continues to shape my journey and that of countless others: Alhaji Yushau Abdulhameed Shuaib, the founder and CEO of PRNigeria.
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As an undergraduate at Bayero University, Kano, I served as the pioneer president of the Department of Information and Media Studies Students Association and chaired the committee that established the Communication Students Association (COMSA). During that time, Alhaji Shuaib gave us a platform — Infomedia — to practice as campus journalists.
Through Infomedia, we published reports, features, and investigative stories under his editorial guidance. He encouraged us intellectually, morally, and materially, nurturing our passion for ethical journalism and truth-driven communication.
Earlier that same year, I had led BUK students in a global Facebook digital campaign that saw our university ranked third worldwide in 2019. Alhaji amplified our achievement through PRNigeria, giving visibility to our success and opening the door to mentorship that would later redefine our careers.
When the PRNigeria Centre Kano was established in October 2019, I was among the first batch of interns — part of the pioneer group that received training in investigative journalism and public relations. There, I discovered that I was not alone. Alhaji had already mentored dozens of journalists, communicators, and professionals across Nigeria’s public and private sectors — an invisible army of protégés shaped by his generosity, ethics, and vision.
Then came the #EndSARS protests of 2020, when fake news and misinformation flooded the airwaves and digital space. At a time when many recoiled from the chaos, Alhaji urged me to focus on fact-checking. He personally mentored me through the process of verifying viral claims, guiding me with patience and precision. That effort eventually birthed my book, 101 Fake News on EndSARS — a compendium that has since become a reference point in fact-checking literature.
That experience was transformative. It not only shaped my career in verification journalism but also opened global opportunities — awards, fellowships, international engagements, and professional growth. Behind it all was a mentor who never sought credit, only impact.
Like his late father, the revered Imam Abdulhameed Agaka, Alhaji Yushau Shuaib embodies humility, service, and purpose. Despite his professional success and influence, he leads a modest life anchored in faith and selflessness. One moment he is earning; the next, he is spending it all to support youth development and national causes.
Last year, under my coordination as Head of Innovation and Special Projects at PRNigeria, we launched the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship — an initiative designed to train 30 young graduates annually in journalism, public relations, and strategic communication. The programme aims to nurture a new generation of ethical communicators who combine technical skill with national consciousness.
As partners under the Collaborative Media Project (CMEDIA) led by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), with support from the MacArthur Foundation, we successfully trained multiple cohorts. But when funding ended this year, we faced a tough decision — to suspend or cancel the fellowship.
Alhaji refused. He insisted that we must continue — even if it meant financing it personally. And that is exactly what he did. He broke into his personal savings to fund the fellowship across our centres in Kano, Ilorin, and Abuja. It was not the first time he had made such a sacrifice, and likely not the last.
That is the kind of man he is — a mentor who gives not out of abundance, but out of conviction. A man who has built not just an institution, but a legacy of impact.
At 56, Yushau A Shuaib stands tall as one of Nigeria’s most influential communicators — a bridge between the government and the governed, between the media and the military, between public perception and truth. For over three decades, he has remained a pillar of ethical communication and a defender of the nation’s image, often at personal cost.
Through PRNigeria, Economic Confidential, Spokespersons Digest, and Tech Digest, he has projected Nigeria’s positive stories, mentored hundreds of journalists, and elevated the country’s reputation on the global stage. Without government patronage or institutional backing, he continues to prove that integrity and patriotism are still possible in the media space.
His voice is calm but firm. His criticism, fair but fearless. His mentorship, priceless. And his patriotism, unwavering.
Today, as Yushau Shuaib marks his 56th birthday, the nation owes him not just celebration, but recognition. He has invested in people, shaped institutions, and fortified Nigeria’s reputation through truth-driven storytelling and solution-oriented communication.
His peers call him a national asset. His mentees call him The Grandmentor — the mentor of mentors. And indeed, that is what he is: a living embodiment of selfless service, resilience, and hope in a time when cynicism too often reigns.
For his lifelong commitment to nation-building, his immeasurable investment in youth empowerment, and his unwavering defense of factual journalism, Nigeria must rise to salute Yushau Shuaib.
He has shown us that the truest measure of patriotism is not in power or position, but in purpose — and that service to humanity remains the highest form of leadership.
Dahiru Lawal is an investigative journalist, fact-checker, and strategic communicator. He serves as Head of Innovation and Special Projects at PRNigeria. Email: [email protected]
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