Almost everything – everything that makes a school a school -- is in a state of decay at St. Mary’s Science College, Ediene Abak, in oil-rich Akwa Ibom State. The ruins of the old cottages making up the boys’ dormitory can be seen a few meters away. Blown-off roofs, partly-collapsed…

It has just finished raining and it is cold this Tuesday morning in July 2017. This reporter is visiting the Annang Peoples Primary School, Ikot Iyire, Abak, in oil-rich Akwa Ibom State. Three pupils between the ages of three and four lay fast asleep on bare floor inside a classroom. The doors and…

The inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom to elect a new state chairman and other executive members of the party has thrown it into a fresh crisis. The APC is holding its state congress nationwide today. A meeting convened on Friday night at the Uyo residence…

Some medical doctors in Nigeria say they are working to reverse the poor relationship between patients and doctors in public hospitals in the country. The spokesperson for the Society for Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON), Uyo zone, Sophia Usuwa, said family physicians in the country have introduced “patient-centred care model”…

The #BringBackOurGirls group, Wednesday, raised questions which they want the federal government and the Nigerian army to answer over the claim by the army that it has rescued 1,000 people said to have been held captive by the Boko Haram terrorists. The army through its spokesperson, Texas Chukwu, said on…

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria has filed a petition at the United Nations (UN) against President Muhammadu Buhari. In a letter to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, the National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, told the world body that Mr Buhari has a predetermined plan to…

A journalist in Akwa Ibom State, Ubong Otong, is dead. Mr Otong, 50, died on April 3 at the Emmanuel Hospital, Eket, his younger brother, Mfon, told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday. “He came back home feeling so weak and was finding it difficult to breathe, we rushed him to the hospital…

The police in Akwa Ibom State have killed the leader of a criminal gang notorious for terrorising people in Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas. The corpse of the gang leader, identified by his nickname Stainless, was displayed at the state police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, before journalists and…

Some Nigerians think government officials at different levels in Nigeria give backing to extremist groups perpetuating violence attacks in the country, says a report by an international research group, Afrobarometer. According to the report, 46 per cent of Nigerians polled by the group think that some senior officials in the…

Civil society groups are leading residents of Rivers in a protest walk in Port Harcourt against air pollution in the state. The protest, which is ongoing, had the people marching to the gate of the Government House, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the office of the…

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has disqualified all the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants for the chairmanship election in Degema Local Government Area. The governor, through a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, accused the aspirants of being involved in violence during the primary…

A Twitter handle (@APCNigeria) which hitherto was thought by Nigerians to be the official account of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been hacked, the account operator has said. The creator and operator of the account, Philip Obin, told PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday, that the account was hacked on Saturday,…

The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has narrated how as a boy it was difficult for him to get into secondary school because his mother, a widow, was not able to sponsor his education. “My dear late widow mother, may her gentle soul rest in perfect peace, had told me…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State says it will ensure equal opportunity for all its aspirants as the party prepares for the 2019 elections. “All our candidates will emerge from credible nomination processes,” the PDP spokesperson in the state, Ini Ememobong, said on Monday in a press…

The Akwa Ibom State government has said that the pastor whose church building collapsed and killed 27 people in the state in 2016 is not culpable of any crime. The tragic incident occurred during the consecration ceremony of the founder and pastor of Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, Akan Weeks, as…

The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, is the best man for his media aide, Kufre Okon, whose wedding is going on now in Uyo. The groom, Mr Okon, is getting married to Rachael Ndon. The wedding is being conducted by The Apostolic Church, Oron…

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is a “father” to all the 36 governors in Nigeria. The governor, who was speaking on Friday in Uyo during the closing ceremony of the third edition of the Nigerian Air Force combat sports competition, was…

The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has sacked the state's Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Reginald Okun. The governor has also directed the re-deployment of the permanent secretary in the ministry, R.E. Obahiagbon, and the retirement of the General Manager, Edo State Waste Management Board, Aiyamenkue Akonofua. A statement…

The Edo State government says it has secured conviction against four persons for noise pollution in the state. A Government House press statement on Wednesday quoted the state Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Reginald Okun, as having said that the government was clamping down on persons who violate laws on…

The Nigerian Air Force is holding its Inter-Command Combat Sports Competition in Akwa Ibom State. The four-day competition, which is in its third edition, is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, the Air Force said in a statement issued by the chairman of the…

Police officers attached to the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Godwin Abraham, allegedly assaulted family members of a federal lawmaker from the state for “not giving way” to the speeding cars on the judge’s convoy. The lawmaker, Owoidighe Ekpoattai, who represents Eket Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, in the…

First Bank of Nigeria has apologised to its Twitter followers after the bank posted series of tweets that appeared to be mocking Thursday’s visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos. The president's two-day official visit to the state disrupted traffic and caused residents to embark on long walk to their…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State says it has initiated investigation into allegation that its staffers extorted money from potential voters who turned out for registration in the state. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Emeka Ononamadu, said in a statement on Wednesday that the investigation…

The police in Edo State on Wednesday arraigned a 70-year-old man, Francis Ezomo, in court for allegedly raping a 9-year old girl. Mr. Ezomo, alongside two of his sons, Nosa and Festus, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and defilement at a magistrate court in the state. The victim…

The man who directed the 2015 governorship campaign of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Akwa Ibom State, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The politician, Soni Udom, announced his defection on Friday in Abak during a ceremony organised by people from five local government areas – Abak,…