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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Acting Director, Corporate Communications and Investors Relations at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, has emerged Nigeria’s 2026 Spokesperson of the Year.
Sidi-Ali received the prestigious award at the 6th National Spokespersons Awards (NSA) 2026 held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The recognition capped a remarkable three-year run for the CBN communications chief, who became the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award in two consecutive years to clinching the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.
Her latest achievement comes three years after CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso appointed her in 2023 as the first female spokesperson in the apex bank’s 66-year history.
Sidi-Ali’s rise through the National Spokespersons Awards has been marked by consistency and measurable impact.
In 2024, she won the Outstanding Spokesperson – Banking Sector award, becoming the first female banking communicator to receive the honour. She retained the award in 2025 before emerging overall Spokesperson of the Year in 2026.
The awards jury recognised her contribution to national economic communication, public confidence in the CBN and the projection of Nigeria’s monetary policy on the global stage.
Her selection followed an evaluation based on four key criteria: impact, innovation and originality, campaign reach, and quality of evidence.
The jury acknowledged her role in developing a proactive communication architecture at the apex bank through regular Monetary Policy Committee briefings, stakeholder engagements, investor relations, media management and international advocacy.
These efforts also earned international recognition, with the CBN’s communications campaign emerging as a finalist at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards.
Earlier in the year, Sidi-Ali was honoured as the African Iconic Female Spokesperson of the Year at the African International Women Recognition Awards (AIWRA) 2026, following a continent-wide public voting process.
Chairperson of the Awards Jury, Professor Saudat Abdulbaqi, said the 2026 edition attracted 171 nominations from across the country.
She said after an initial screening, only entries that met the required standards of clarity, measurable impact and verifiable evidence proceeded to subsequent stages of evaluation, producing 30 finalists across 15 categories.
According to Abdulbaqi, the adjudication process was transparent and evidence-driven, designed to ensure that the awards reflected demonstrable professional excellence rather than popularity.
Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, said the National Spokespersons Awards and the Economic Confidential Annual Lecture were established to promote informed national discourse, celebrate professional excellence and strengthen strategic communication in Nigeria.
He also announced that the International Public Relations Association had granted the National Spokespersons Awards Conference Status, enhancing the programme’s international profile and positioning it among recognised professional communication platforms.
The 2026 edition also honoured outstanding communication professionals and organisations across the government, corporate and non-profit sectors.
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, who delivered the keynote address, received an award for championing anti-corruption reforms.
Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, won the Crisis Communicator of the Year award, while Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, Senior Technical Assistant on Print and Digital Communications to Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, emerged winner in the Digital Communication category.
Assistant Comptroller of Customs (ASC), Folusho Adeogun of the Nigeria Customs Service, was named Young Communicator of the Year.
Other winners included Celestine Achi, who received the Author/Scholar award for his work on artificial intelligence and public relations; Andy Odeh of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, who won the Corporate Communication category; and Basheer Luqman Olarewaju, who was honoured in the Social Media category.
The Federal Road Safety Corps emerged winner in the Public Affairs category, while Integrated Indigo Limited was named PR Agency of the Year.
MAAUN won the Knowledge Hub award, while NITDA-CCC was recognised in the Crisis Management category. Nigerian Women in PR received the Publication award, TETFund won the Media Relations category, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was honoured for Employee Relations, while the NIPR Kaduna Chapter won the Event Management award.
The ceremony was chaired by NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, and attended by prominent public officials and communication experts, including the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace, who represented the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.
Also present were Chairman of the Centre for Crisis Communication and former Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd.); Professor Sule Ya’u Sule; diplomats, security chiefs, senior public relations practitioners and academics.
