The Acting Director of Corporate Communications and Investors Relations at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Hakama Sidi-Ali, has emerged as Nigeria’s 2026 Spokesperson of the Year.
Sidi-Ali received the award at the 6th National Spokespersons Awards held in Abuja, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited, publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest. The award completes an unprecedented three-year run for the CBN communications chief, who won the Outstanding Spokesperson.
She thus becomes the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award consecutively to emerging overall Spokesperson of the Year.
Sidi-Ali was appointed in 2023 by CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso as the first female spokesperson in the Bank’s 66-year history.
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The jury said her 2026 recognition was based on her impact, innovation and originality, campaign reach and quality of evidence.
It also acknowledged her role in strengthening the CBN’s communication architecture through regular Monetary Policy Committee briefings, stakeholder engagements, investor relations, media management and international advocacy.
Chairperson of the Awards Jury, Professor Saudat Abdulbaqi, said the 2026 edition attracted 171 nominations, with 30 finalists eventually selected across 15 categories after rigorous screening.
She described the adjudication process as transparent and evidence-driven, designed to reward demonstrable professional excellence rather than popularity.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, said the National Spokespersons Awards was 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, giving the programme greater international recognition.
The CBN’s communication efforts had earlier received international attention after its communications campaign emerged as a finalist at the 2026 IPRA Golden World Awards.
Other winners included Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, who won Crisis Communicator of the Year; Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, who won Digital Communication; and Assistant Comptroller of Customs Folusho Adeogun, who was named Young Communicator of the Year.
The event was chaired by the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Ike Neliaku, and attended by senior government officials, diplomats, security chiefs, academics and communication professionals.
The award further cements Sidi-Ali’s position as a leading figure in Nigeria’s public-sector communication, following her emergence earlier in 2026 as African Iconic Female Spokesperson of the Year at the African International Women Recognition Awards.
