Hakama Sidi-Ali Emerges Nigeria’s 2026 Spokesperson of the Year

Oru Leonard

Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, Acting Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has emerged Nigeria’s 2026 Spokesperson of the Year, capping a remarkable three-year run of recognition at the National Spokespersons Awards.

Sidi-Ali received the prestigious honour at the 6th National Spokespersons Awards (NSA) 2026, held at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja, in recognition of her contributions to strategic communication, public engagement and the projection of Nigeria’s monetary policy.

Her latest award makes her the first communication professional to progress from winning a sector-specific category in two consecutive years to clinching the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.

The achievement comes three years after she made history as the first female spokesperson in the CBN’s 66-year history, following her appointment in 2023 by CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso.

The awards were organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, alongside the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture.

Sidi-Ali’s rise through the National Spokespersons Awards began in 2024 when she won the Outstanding Spokesperson – Banking Sector award, becoming the first female banking communicator to receive the honour. She successfully retained the award in 2025 before emerging overall Spokesperson of the Year in 2026.

The jury said her 2026 recognition reflected her influence beyond the banking sector and her contribution to strengthening public confidence in the CBN while communicating Nigeria’s monetary policy to domestic and international audiences.

Her performance was assessed against key criteria including impact, innovation and originality, campaign reach, and quality of evidence.

The jury particularly acknowledged the CBN’s proactive communications architecture under her watch, including regular Monetary Policy Committee briefings, stakeholder engagements, investor relations, media management and international advocacy.

The communications campaign also earned international recognition after the CBN was named a finalist at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards.

Earlier this year, Sidi-Ali was also honoured as 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, disclosed that the 2026 awards attracted 171 nominations from across Nigeria.

She said entries were subjected to an initial screening, with only submissions that demonstrated clarity, measurable impact and verifiable evidence progressing to subsequent stages. The process eventually produced 30 finalists across 15 categories.

Abdulbaqi stressed that the adjudication was transparent and evidence-driven, designed to reward demonstrable professional excellence rather than popularity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, said the National Spokespersons Awards and Economic Confidential Annual Lecture were established to promote informed national discourse, recognise professional excellence and strengthen strategic communication in Nigeria.

Shuaib also announced that the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) had granted the National Spokespersons Awards Conference Status, a development he said would enhance the programme’s international profile and position it among recognised global professional communication platforms.

Other distinguished award recipients included the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, who 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 Digital Communicator of the Year.

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 (NNPCL), who won the Corporate Communication category; and Basheer Luqman Olarewaju, who emerged winner in the Social Media category.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) won the Public Affairs category, while Integrated Indigo Limited was named PR Agency of the Year.

The Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN) won the Knowledge Hub award, while NITDA–CCC received the Crisis Management award. Nigerian Women in PR won the Publication category, TETFund took the Media Relations award, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation won Employee Relations, while the NIPR Kaduna Chapter received the Event Management award.

The ceremony was chaired by the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, and attended by senior public officials, diplomats, security chiefs, academics and communication professionals.

Among those present were the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace, representing the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; Chairman of the Centre for Crisis Communication and former Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd.); and Professor Sule Ya’u Sule.

With the latest honour, Sidi-Ali’s three-year journey from sector-specific award winner to Nigeria’s overall Spokesperson of the Year has become one of the most notable success stories in the country’s strategic communications profession.

Her achievement also underscores the growing importance of credible, evidence-based and proactive communication in strengthening public trust in public institutions and communicating complex economic policies to Nigerians and the international community.