Kano government shuts 30-year-old newspaper

MADUABUCHI NMERIBEH/Kano

The Triumph Publishing Company owned by Kano state Government, northwest Nigeria has been shut down on the orders of Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

Fierce-looking security operatives in company of the state Commissioner for Information, Prof. Jubril Farouk stormed the company and chased away workers who had received earlier warning to vacate the premises.

Though the state government has not given official reasons over the closure, P.M.NEWS learnt that Governor Kwankwaso was forced to shut down the media house following abysmal performance by management and staff.

It was also learnt that the Kwankwaso government was considering the option of privatizing the print media house in a bid to maximize profit.

There is however hope for the Triumph staff as the state government has promised to pay their salaries and also directed the Head of Service to assimilate them into other government ministries, agencies and parastatals.

Already, Triumph employees have started feeling forms for redeployment at the Head of Service office.

The Head of Service, Malam Umar Shehu Minijibir directed the workers of the ill-fated publishing outfit to report daily to his office until their deployment to the various ministries and parastatals is sorted out.

It would be recalled that for the past six months, the publishing outfit have been grappling with financial crisis, a situation that compelled the State government to bail it out with N50 million a few months ago.

It was learnt that the government’s intervention was part of measures to support the firm to become self-sustaining, which eventually failed to materialize, resulting in an outstanding three months salary arrears owed the aggrieved workers.

The first civilian governor of Kano state, the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi established Triumph Publishing Company 30 years ago.