As part of efforts in promoting inclusion for women in Northern Nigeria to have fundamental access to Information and communication technology(ICT) literacy, PRNigeria has pledged to support Kano Ladies Mentors and Mentees Dialogue (KALAMED), a women led, women focused non profit in the state.

The founder and CEO of PRNigeria, Alhaji Yusha’u Shuaib made the pledge during an interactive session with officials of KALAMED in its Kano Center during the Yuletide.

“Kano is a bedrock for commercial and economic development in Nigeria and as ICT continue to evolve, empowering women with necessary skills will bridge the digital divide and accelerate their career goals in accessing self employment opportunities, leading to poverty alleviation in the country,” Shuaib said.

During the interaction, it was noted that, barriers affecting women from being actively involved in the ICT are in alignment with inaccessibility, infrastructure deficit and mentorship on ICT for women.

To mitigate these barriers in Kano among young girls and women, PRNigeria will strengthen support to KALAMED by granting the organisation full access to its ICT Center with over 30 computers and Internet infrastructure.

The PRNigeria ICT center was established by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2021 to support digital economy training, bridge digital divide and enhance digital literacy towards economic development.

The Centre is equipped with the necessary facilities for training Kano residents which includes computer sets, accessories, solar power, generator, standing fans, printer, projector and Internet facilities.

Since its establishment, the ICT center has served as a community engagement center that has enhanced the skills of over 300 individuals empowering them for various job opportunities in the sector. Beneficiaries cut across students, academics, tech enthusiasts, youths, women and children.

In her remark, The Program officer of KALAMED, Rukkaya Abdulhadi, expressed her gratitude towards the gesture by PRNigeria and vowed to make a commitment in building sustainable partnership for future endeavors in promoting inclusion for women and girls in Kano state.

Rukkaya Added that, KALAMED has conducted a series of programs for young girls and women in Kano that leveraged on Health, Education, Empowerment, soft and Digital Marketing skills, with over 5 thousands beneficiaries in schools, community engagements, and virtual Appearance in two years.

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The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Dr. Chris Isiguzo has advised the first cohort of the inaugural PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship to leverage social media in becoming true media and public relations professionals.

Isiguzo spoke at the opening ceremony of the one-month-long capacity-building training for ten select PRNigeria Communication Fellows.

The event occurred at the Abuja Corporate Headquarters of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, the two flagship media publications of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR).

Isiguzo encouraged young communicators to leverage social media in their profession because the media is now moving from the hands of professionals to the ordinary citizens thus removing the element of objectivity in media reportage.

In his words, “The real journalist is the trained journalist. It is important to pick out the fake news and put the real ones out there. We must battle those who are putting out fake news and change the narrative on social media. Your role in this, as the next generation of journalists, is crucial and influential.”

Dr. Isiguzo also advised the PRNigeria fellows to take their profession seriously, emphasizing how much of a powerful tool journalism is in promoting accountability in a democratic setting like Nigeria. He stressed the significant role they play in shaping public discourse and holding those in power accountable.

“Journalism is a unique profession. Given the circumstances, the law (constitution) has given power to journalists and this is why we are the linkage or middlemen between the government and the people.

During his opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Alhaji Yushau Shuaib welcomed the fellows and explained how complex the selection process was while choosing the 10 cohorts from over 1,000 applicants.

“When we announced the fellowship, within two days we received 1,414 entries. Due to the competitiveness, the selection process had to use the first-come, first-served principle as the primary criteria for selection. This approach was consistent across all centres in Kano, Ilorin, and Abuja, after which 10 Fellows were selected for each Centre so I want to welcome and congratulate you,” he said.

Alhaji Shuaib stated the essence of the fellowship while giving an overview of its programme activities and encouraged participants to utilise the opportunity for their self and community development.

“The essence of the Fellowship is to broaden your scope of knowledge in all aspects of communication. While journalism deals with gathering and disseminating information, strategic communication involves being mindful of the kind of information shared to avoid harming the community and those mentioned in the report.

“The Fellowship focuses on modern communication methods, public relations, crisis communication and social media engagement, introducing technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning as journalism has evolved. Additionally, there is a multimedia session, as communication is shifting from print to audiovisual.

“This Fellowship also provides networking opportunities. To facilitate this, we organised a session where you will visit some organisations, including media houses and PR departments, to interact, learn from their practical experiences, and gain hands-on experience.

“It is expected that you will contribute knowledge and groundbreaking projects to the world based on what you learn during the fellowship,” he said.

Other speakers at the event included Dr. Sule Yau Sule, a seasoned PR practitioner and communication scholar at Bayero University Kano and Mallam Yusuf Alli, a multi-award-winning investigative journalist and a Managing Editor at the Nation Newspapers.

By PRNigeria

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The newly-appointed Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, has promised to work with the Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), the publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential to actualize his vision for the federal information agency.

Ndace made the pledge when he received a delegation of PRNigeria staff, led by its Editor-in-Chief, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, at his office in Abuja on Tuesday.

The new VON Director General, an award-winning journalist and security expert with a well-established reputation in the Nigerian security sector, in his welcome remarks, credited much of his success to Mallam Shuaib’s expertise and strategic thinking.

Ndace, described Mallam Shuaib as a consummate public relations expert, saying, “I will always count on your suggestions and support. My success depends on leveraging on supports and guidances from individuals and groups like you.”

The VON boss, while speaking further, urged the IMPR staff to remain focused, committed and dedicated to their organisation’s growth, noting that loyalty pays.

Earlier in his remarks, Mallam Shuaib congratulated Ndace on his appointment, describing him as a prolific journalist who has carved a niche for himself.

He said: “Your expertise, experience and loyalty are second to none. Your success stories are well-documented in many books, including one on crisis management that I authored. I strongly believe in your capacity to deliver as VON helmsman and I wish you all the best.”

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TECHDIGEST – The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has lauded contributions of staff writers at PRNigeria for their breakthrough in publishing series of books.

The immediate past president of ANA, Mr Denja Yahaya Abdullahi, made the commendation when he visited the Managing Director of Image Merchants Promotion Limited publishersPRNigeria and Economic Confidential in Abuja.

While acknowledging the effort  of mentoring budding writers in the journalism and public relations profession, Mr Denja commended the organization for its groundbreaking journalistic works in the areas of security reporting, fact-checking, Public Relations, and crisis communication.

He therefore encouraged the publisher to continue the mentorship in order to create more impact in society.U.S.-Africa

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“In our association, ANA, we welcome young authors to participate and be part of a series of activities. We are impressed with work and breakthrough of young communicators and writers, and we are ready to support them.

“I notice with interest that majority of PRNigeria staff are registered members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). Since almost half of  the staff have also authored books, I enjoin them to develop interest in creative writings and join membership ANA for its benefits.

“ANA has members in virtually all States of the Federation with different categories of membership: Associate; Full; and Honorary member.”

He also describes the Publisher, Mr. Yushau Shuaib is an icon of truth who remains resilient in his attempt to provide solutions to the most pressing issues through strategic communication in the country.

“I have known Mallam Yushau Shuaib for decades, and I am impressed with his attitude towards the work, his expertise in the area, and various journalistic works right from when he was in the civil service.”

“Mr Shuaib, when he was in the civil service, he did a lot of work for the government, propagating ideas on what people should know. Anywhere you see him working, he demonstrates excellence and dedication to make an impact. “ he added.

He further explained that seeing  someone like Mr Yushau, speaking truth to power, and advocating for the masses welfare through PR, he is confident that he is doing it for the powerless and at the same helping the government in bringing about positive changes.

“When I am looking for factual information, anything I see on PRNigeria is absolutely acceptable because I know the work you do reflects the interest of the powerless and Nigeria as a country, to bring about positive change in the society.”

“In the era of crisis communication, he (Mr Yushau) has created a niche for himself and for the organization in providing solutions to some of the most pressing issues in society.” He stressed.

In his remarks, Mr Yushau Shuaib commended Mr Denja for the positive impact he made while he was President of ANA.

He also assured him that the staff would be glad to join ANA to enhance their writing skills.

“We are really honoured by your visit at the time that we are now having more authors than just writers 8n the PRNigeria family.

“We will definitely encourage our staff to join relevant professional bodies like ANA just as we have 90 NIPR certified membership of our team.”

By PRNigeria

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TECHDIGEST – The founder of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, has pledged to partner with PRNigeria Centre in the SIWES training of undergraduate students.

Professor Gwarzo made the pledge when the Managing Director of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, Publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, led a team from the Centre on a courtesy call to his office in Kano.

Professor Gwarzo thanked the management of PRNigeria for their support, advice and words of encouragement towards the development of the university.

The PRNigeria Centre has for years served as a reliable training ground for students of Mass Communication from various institutions of learning.

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Alhaji Shuaib assured the founder of the Centre’s commitment to welcome MAAUN students and give them a world class training.

Shuaib expressed his appreciation to Gwarzo for his support in the success of Arewa 30 Under 30 Award ceremony that was held last week.

He also commended the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation for its numerous philanthropic and humanitarian gestures in many communities in the Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

“I wish to also express our deep appreciation for your kind and financial support to the plight of a stranded Nigerian final year medical Student in Russia over the university fees as well as other philanthropic to many aspiring young Nigerians towards a better future for them and the country.

Shuaib had tour the facilities on the campus, described the edifice of MAAUN Nigeria as one of the best among Nigerian Private Universities.

“During the students orientation programme at the University, I was surprised seeing the presence of NDLEA, I know they were here to counsel the students on the negative effects of drug abuse. This is a good move at this time that we have rampant cases of drug abuse by young people”, he said.

Prof Gwarzo, the founder of MAAUN Universities in Niger and Nigeria, is also planning to establish Franco British International University in Kaduna and Abuja Canadian University in 20232024 respectively

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was recently honoured with an Award and Certificate of Excellence at the Spokesperson Communication Award 2022.

According to the Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), organisers of the event, the award was in recognition of NITDA’a strategic approach to information dissemination especially on digital media communication platforms.

The Award, the organisers added, was coming as a result of NITDA’s unrelenting effort and commitment to enlightening the general public on various projects carried out by the Agency on social media platforms.

“NITDA has over the years proved to be a force to reckon with, with regards to social media activities, particularly providing quality contents to its followers, which draw engagement from all corners, as well as interacting with Nigerians that seek information about the mandate of the Agency,” the CEO of IMPR, Alhaji Yushau Shuaib, said.

Speaking on behalf of the Director General of NITDA, Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of the Agency, appreciated the organisers “for recognising our modest efforts with the Award of Excellence.”

She said, “social media has become an integral part of the marketing NITDA’s activities, because we have seen the significant and measurable impact it makes on our organisation. We use it to reach a local and international audience to tell Nigerians about our mandates, activities, and technology trend globally.”

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“We put strategies in place to increase our brand awareness, new technologies, cybersecurity awareness, and updates on how users can protect their personal information online. These continuous updates have significantly helped to protect many people from being scammed.

“Technology is youth-centric, and social media is mainly for young people. In Nigeria’s concerted efforts to promote ICT and digital economy, it has become imperative to use social media in promoting all our activities and create more awareness for innovative Nigerians to expose their ideas and become employers of labor and contributors of value.”

“We engage our followers Digital Economy trends and development, and acquainted them on the achievements being recorded in the Agency since the development of National Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), being championed by Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy,” she added.

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TECHDIGEST – The Image Merchants Promotion Limited, publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and other titles, has offered an automatic employment to a corps member, Bukar Lawal Maigana, for his contributions to the organisation in the area of investigative reporting and fact-checking.

The CEO of IMPR, Alhaji Yushau Shuaib, made the disclosure at the passing out ceremony of the corps member who served in the Fact-Checking and Politics Desks of the organisation.

Alhaji Shuaib said the offer of automatic employment award is supported by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and funded by MacArthur Foundation through the Collaborative Media Engagement for development inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) Project.

The IMPR CEO said Mr Maigana worked tirelessly for the organisation without going on break during his one-year service.

“I’m delighted to inform you that through the support from Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism with a grant from MacArthur Foundation, we are offering you an automatic Employment on the Fact-Checking Desk of PRNigeria.

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“We are encouraged by your punctuality and immense contributions to the Fact-Checking Desk in debunking fake news and tackling hate-speeches mostly on social media.

“We also express our gratitude to WSCIJ and MacArthur Foundation for supporting us in this regard,” he said.

Speaking on the offer, an elated Maigana said he was short of words to express his gratitude.

He thanked the IMPR boss for mentoring him and creating an enabling environment for young talents to blossom.

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), under its Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity, and Accountability (CMEDIA) project, supports investigative stories with a focus on subnational issues from journalists from all genres across Nigeria.

The collaborative media project is designed as a multi-level intervention for media independence and government accountability. The project seeks to strengthen the media’s independence and presence, especially at state and local government levels in a bid to improve public awareness and the ecosystem for accountability there. It is initiated by the WSCIJ, and funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

By PRNigeria

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TECHDIGEST – The Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, has bagged the Golden World Award (GWA) of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) in the Crisis Management Category.

The IPRA honours the frontline multi-award-winning integrated communication agency for its publication “101 Fake News on EndSARS” authored by a staff member and 2021 Best Fact-Checker in West Africa, Dahiru Lawal.

The book was published in a collaboration with the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), the Secretariat of the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA)

The book, which exposes a series of Fake News, especially on social media during and after the 2020 EndSARS protests in Nigeria, had previously won African SABRE Award 2022 hosted by PRovoke Media and endorsed by the African Public Relations Association (APRA) at Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.

In a congratulatory message addressed to Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, the IPRA Secretariat wrote: “I am pleased to announce that you are an IPRA GWA 2022 winner! Congratulations.

“You win with Unveiling 101 Fake News on EndSARS in the Crisis management – Agency category.”

Meanwhile, the IPRA Secretariat regretted that it would not hold the Award ceremony billed for Japan in October due to what it described as “ongoing problems around the world.”

From 2016 to date, IMPR has remained one of the most formidable indigenous African PR firms, winning Public Relations awards at continental and global levels.

Apart from being shortlisted as one of the five finalists for the African Public Relations Agency of the Year, it was ranked number one and identified as the most creative PR agency worldwide in the 2020 Global Creativity Index (GCI).

The yearly GCI, produced by PRovoke, formerly Holmes Report, ranks the most awarded PR campaigns and firms in the world, weighing their impacts while taking cognisance of their staff size.

Speaking on the latest award, Shuaib commended the efforts of young and vibrant staff members in the firm for providing news and feature ideas for strategic communication.

“At IMPR, apart from our experienced editors and consummate communicators, we have young and vibrant, fresh graduates who are providing creative and workable ideas for our diverse clients.

“The results of their pitches can be glimpsed from our fact-checks, investigative reporting, crisis communication, event management and public relations.”

Also speaking on the award, the Executive Secretary CCC, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd), commended IMPR for making Nigeria proud on the global scene on crisis communication strategies.

“We are indeed proud of our partnership with the IMPR family, especially PRNigeria on its roles in crisis management in the country. Apart from CCC jointly winning a previous GWA award, other stakeholders include ONSA, DHQ, Nigerian Airforce, Nigeria Customs, Nigeria Prison Service, DSS, NCC, NDLEA, and NITDA among others have also bagged similar awards with IMPR in the past. We are indeed grateful for making Nigeria proud,” Yusuf Anas said.

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TECHDIGEST – Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Politics Digest, has unveiled a book written by two female journalists on Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state at his 47th birthday.

The book titled, “Yahaya Bello: 47 Narratives on a Change Agent,” was presented to the Governor during his 47th birthday in Abuja.

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Co-authored by a Senior Correspondent with Politics Digest, Nafisat Bello, and a Correspondent with Economic Confidential, Hafsat Ibrahim, the 183-page Book is a compendium of 47 articles on the activities of the Bello administration which the authors started compiling since October last year.

Speaking on the book, the Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib, said the 47 articles, meant to co-incide with the governor’s 47th birthday, cut across his giant strides in the areas of security, economy, infrastructure, job creation, women and youth empowerment as well as his recent bid for the highest office in the land.

Delighted by the presentation, Governor Bello thanked Alhaji Shuaib for the ‘surprise’ birthday gift with a promise to keep doing his best for the upliftment of the downtrodden in the state and elsewhere.

He also expressed gratitude towards the two female authors, who are both Kogi indigenes, and commended their resilience, dedication and staying power which enabled them to see through a project they started since last year without his knowledge.

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TECHDIGEST – Alford Conferences Limited Partners and the Image Merchants Promotion, IMPR, Limited, have opened discussions on how to establish an annual Technology Trade Fair in Nigeria.

The initiative is geared towards consolidating the growing international profile of Nigeria’s technology sector.

The proposed fair will be tagged: World Digital Exhibition (Worldex).

It will be held annually in Abuja, with the inaugural edition scheduled for April 2023.

At a meeting, Chairman and CEO of Alford Conferences Limited, Mr. Frederick Apeji, said that, “We are here to explore a media partnership with Image Merchants Promotion Limited, as we begin preparation for the inaugural World Digital Exhibition (Worldex).

“The Nigerian tech industry has recorded several outstanding achievements in the past two decades, and we believe that the time is ripe for our country to host a world class annual technology trade fair”.

On his part, the Managing Director of IMPR, Mallam Yushau Shuaib remarked that, “We welcome this proposal for a home grown technology trade show, and we believe that the annual event will draw many more tech companies and investors to Nigeria.

“In line with our business as a public relations and media company, we are pleased to support this global event which will help to promote a good image for our country”.

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