The media consultant to the office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, on Information and Communications management, Yushau Shuaib, has resigned his appointment ostensibly in protest against the indictment of his company by the presidential committee set up to probe contract awards in the security sector.

However, some presidency sources suggest that Shuaib might have been pressured to resign and had over the public relations platform he created for the government platform, PRNigeria, because of conflict of interest regarding his recent handling of the trail of former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki.

Shuaib has allegedly used the platform he created for the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, FOSSRA, to attack the government’s handling of the Dasuki trial, always supporting the man who originally awarded him the contract.

Shuaib was engaged as a media consultant by Dasuki about two years ago to interface between security and response agencies in the country and the media.

In that capacity, the journalist and publisher of the online newspaper, Economic Confidential, created the digital platform called PRNigeria which harnessed and produced information by security, military, para military, response and anti-graft agencies for the media.

However, Shuaib’s media company, Image Merchants Promotions Limited, was one of several firms indicted by the committee which investigated contracts awarded by the ONSA between 2011 and 2015.

Image Merchant appears as No 26 on the list of companies alleged to have “out rightly failed to execute contracts or did so partially,” and thus asked to refund monies to government.

However, Shuaib has criticised the committee of witch hunting contractors whom he also said were not given fair trial.

In his notice of resignation addressed to the chairman of FOSSRA and Director of Defence Information, Rabe Abubakar, a Brigadier General, Shuaib said he was leaving because of “misleading report” by presidential committee and “for unjustly accusing almost all institutions and individuals that served the office without fair hearing.”

“The retired AVM Jon Ode-Presidential Panel under ONSA is merely criminalizing critical institutions and indicting groups and individuals in the media without being arraigned in the court of law where the accused could prove their innocence,” he stated.

The media consultant also questioned why the panel set up to probe procurement of arms was also “saddled with probing contracts and services that have nothing to do with arms and ammunition.”

Shuaib accused the panel of misleading President Muhammadu Buhari with its “biased reports” thus, creating “unnecessary anxiety in the polity”, while also deliberately refusing to acknowledge successes recorded by the Goodluck Jonatan administration in the fight against terror.

Besides, he also called to question the character of some members of the committee, alleging that a few acted disgracefully while in service.

“I wonder if President Buhari was able to conduct comprehensive background checks on some members of the panel before their appointment. A mere google check would have provided him a glimpse on the character and ethical capital of some of these individuals who may likely be showing frustrations occasioned by stagnation in posting, arraignment before court martial for indiscipline and fund misappropriation while in service apart from those that might have served as aides to controversial figures,” he said.

Defending his company against the committee’s indictment, Shuaib said it was mischievous as he provided all relevant documents to show proof of work done and taxes paid only to be accused of collecting money and not doing anything.

“For genuine reasons and concern, our strategic team manages many humiliating and embarrassing reports from leakages, including alleged terrorists’ attacks in the hometowns of top security officers in the current administration.”

This website learnt that Shuaib had been grilled by the committee over funds running into several million of naira which his company received to provide media consyltancy services for the NSA’s office and other agencies of government.

Members of the committee were not convinced that the huge amounts received by the company could be justified by the digital platform, PRNigeria, which he created for FOSSRA.

Besides, some persons in government, it was learnt, were also miffed that Shuaib used a platform ostensibly paid for by public funds to attack the federal government particularly regarding the case against Dasuki, the man who awarded the media consultancy contract to Image Merchant.