The Triumph at Crossroads: Why it needs resuscitation

Some time ago, members of the Kano State House of Assembly Committee on Information, led by the Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Waiya, paid a working visit to some agencies under their oversight, including Triumph Publishing Company Limited.

For many people who had worked with The Triumph or had one connection or another with the company, the visit was more than a routine government engagement.

Because it offered a rare moment of hope for an institution that has endured years of neglect and decline.

The Commissioner’s announcement that the Kano State Government was planning to resuscitate the company was therefore received with excitement.

For former and serving staff, media practitioners and others who understand the historical importance of The Triumph, the pronouncement raised hopes that the newspaper and its publishing operations could once again regain their place in Kano’s media landscape.

But that hope comes with an important question: What exactly must be done to turn the promise of resuscitation into reality?

The Triumph does not merely need a temporary intervention. It needs serious attention, a clear recovery plan, adequate funding, professional management and the political will to restore its operations.

Without these, another announcement could simply become another chapter in the long story of a once-important institution struggling to survive.

The company was shut down by the Kwankwaso administration in 2012 and revived by the Ganduje administration during its second term.

However, those responsible for bringing the company back did not do enough to restore it to full operational capacity. The necessary structures, equipment and resources needed to make the company function effectively were not put in place.

This left the then Managing Director, Lawan Sabo, with little room to operate. He was largely left to supervise a company that lacked the capacity and resources to function as a proper publishing organisation.

This concern is particularly important because The Triumph is currently operating without some of the basic structures needed to compete effectively with other media organisations.

For about three years, the company has been operating under an Acting Managing Director who, to the best of available information, is yet to be substantively confirmed or replaced.

The company also appears to lack properly structured administrative and finance departments capable of supporting its operations effectively, as would be expected of a state-owned organisation.

Perhaps more troubling is the staffing situation. The organisation is operating with a limited permanent workforce, while a large proportion of its staff are contract workers.

Despite these challenges, the staff have continued to put in considerable effort to keep the newspaper running. Their commitment deserves recognition. They are working under difficult circumstances, yet continue to do their best to ensure that The Triumph remains in circulation.

However, dedication alone cannot substitute for a functional institutional structure. No matter how committed the staff may be, they cannot be expected to carry the weight of an entire organisation indefinitely without the necessary administrative, financial, managerial and operational support.

A newspaper is not sustained by journalists and production workers alone. It requires effective leadership, sound financial management, adequate staffing, modern equipment, reliable production facilities and a management system that allows every department to perform its responsibilities effectively.

The present situation appears to place too much responsibility on too few people. Staff may continue to improvise and make personal sacrifices to keep the newspaper going, but such efforts can only provide temporary relief.

They cannot replace proper structures, clear responsibilities and institutional capacity.

This is why any serious attempt to resuscitate The Triumph must look beyond simply keeping the newspaper in circulation.

The objective should be to rebuild the organisation itself so that it can operate as a properly structured media institution capable of surviving beyond the commitment of the individuals currently holding it together.

If the company is to be genuinely resuscitated, the government must address its leadership, administrative, financial and staffing structures alongside the rehabilitation of its physical and production facilities.

The revival should therefore go beyond repairing machines, providing funds or restoring production.

It should also involve putting in place a management structure capable of planning, generating revenue, maintaining professional standards and competing in today’s rapidly changing media environment.

For sure, The Triumph needs an institution that can function properly, not simply individuals struggling to keep it alive.