By Peace Udugba
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will host the fifth edition of its Corporate Communications Book Reading Programme on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, featuring writer, journalist, public policy analyst and strategic communicator, Paul C. Nwabuikwu.
The session will focus on Nwabuikwu’s recently published book, The Pain and the Promise: Insights and Fragments on Nigeria and People, Public and Personal, which brings together his writings and reflections spanning more than three decades.
The book explores Nigeria’s people, politics, economy, public policy and the changing character of society, offering perspectives drawn from the author’s extensive professional and intellectual journey.
According to the NCDMB, the book reading programme is part of its sustained effort to promote literacy, critical thinking and knowledge exchange through structured engagement with Nigerian authors and thought leaders.
Since its inception, the initiative has provided a platform for intellectual discourse while supporting the Board’s commitment to human capital development beyond the oil and gas sector.
Participants at the forthcoming session will engage directly with Nwabuikwu and discuss issues raised in the book, including leadership, governance, public policy, Nigeria’s development and the experiences of ordinary citizens.
Nwabuikwu’s career spans journalism, public policy, strategic communications, advertising, brand building and opinion research. He began his journalism career in 1988 and has worked with leading Nigerian media organisations, including Newswatch, THISDAY and The Guardian.
He also served in government as Special Assistant on Communications to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during her two tenures as Minister of Finance and Head of the Economic Management Team.
His experience across journalism, government and strategic communications has provided him with broad insights into the relationship between public policy, institutions, communication and the people affected by government decisions.
The Pain and the Promise has received commendations from prominent Nigerian leaders and scholars. At its public presentation in Abuja, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka and Vice Chancellor of Baze University, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, described the book as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s intellectual and public policy discourse.
The NCDMB said its Corporate Communications Book Reading initiative would continue to support Nigerian authors and create platforms for learning, intellectual engagement and the exchange of ideas.
The Board considers such engagements important to building a knowledge-based society and strengthening citizens’ capacity to engage with national and global issues.
The fifth edition is expected to attract professionals, students, industry stakeholders and members of the public for discussions on Nigeria, its people and the ideas and experiences shaping the country’s development.
Previous editions of the programme featured notable Nigerian authors and their works. The two most recent sessions featured HRM King Bubaraye Dakolo, author of Pirates of the Gulf, and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who discussed his book, Leading in a Storm.
The forthcoming session with Paul C. Nwabuikwu will add another perspective to the intellectual conversations promoted through the NCDMB Corporate Communications Book Reading Programme.
