Some thugs have invaded a polling unit in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, carting away voting materials. The thugs invaded the PU 020, Ward 05, Etegwe Primary School, Yenagoa, at about 4:21pm on Saturday. PREMIUM TIMES reporter who witnessed the violent invasion reports that the thugs, about 20 in number,…

Voting has ended in some polling units in Bayelsa State where a governorship election is holding. PREMIUM TIMES has provided live updates of the election which was characterised by the late arrival of electoral materials, violence, and intimidation of voters. The electoral commission, INEC, has had to cancel the election…

The people of Bayelsa, South-south Nigeria, go to the polls today to elect a new governor. A total of 45 political parties are taking part in the election to govern the oil-rich state. The contest is, however, expected to be between David Lyon of the APC and Duoye Diri of…

Ahead of Saturday's governorship poll in Bayelsa State, some residents have expressed worry over the state of security in different parts of the state. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in several interviews on Friday, the residents called on government and intelligence agencies to ensure the security of lives and property in…

A former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday decried incidents of pre-election violence in Kogi and Bayelsa States ahead of Saturday governorship polls in both states. Mr Jonathan described the signals from both states as “disturbing”, adding that only electronic voting process can address issues of electoral violence in Nigeria.…

For years, beginning primarily on the cusp of the millennium, Lagos has enjoyed a near-legendary reputation among Nigerians as our own under-recognised Eldorado. In informal conversations, among pseudo-elites and members of the free-readers association at the newsstand, Lagos is always referred to as that state where governance is elevated beyond…

The Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, in partnership with the African Union and the Carnegie Corporation of New York would convene a continental forum on the role of the diaspora in higher education, research, and innovation in Africa. The programme is put together in honour of the late Nigerian…

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc has announced plans to merge with Savannah Sugar Company Limited. A disclosure notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange said the company’s board of directors recommended the business combination through a scheme of external restructuring. The restructuring, it said, would culminate in a merger. The notice,…

Last month, Kano, by far Northern Nigeria’s most commercially important city, threw up one of Nigeria’s most heart-wrenching paradoxes. This time, the paradox was of the gloomiest shades, one which strikes at the heart of the official “un-governance” that is fast becoming a contemporary Nigerian reality. (To be sure, from…

A judge in the Osun State judiciary, Justice S.O Falola, is presently in the eye of the storm over allegations of judicial misconduct, alleged conspiracy and involvement in a fraudulent scheme against Polaris Bank Limited, PREMIUM TIMES can report. Details of the alleged “fraudulent scheme” emerged in a counter-affidavit deposed to…

The identity of an alleged security aide to a former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, generated ripples at an Italian Court on Wednesday as hearing resumed on the controversial Malabu oil deal. Victor Nwafor - said to be a security aide of Mr Jonathan - was alleged to have informed a…

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Kuru, has called on the Nigerian government to convert Arik air into a national carrier. Mr Kuru said his agency has retrieved Arik from the brink of collapse and restructured and positioned it on…

The late Nigerian thinker, scholar and literary critic, Pius Adesanmi, has been buried. Mr Adesanmi was buried on Saturday at the Capital Home and Cemetery, 3700 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Canada. Details of the burial were made public by an associate of the late writer, Nduka Otiono. Mr Otiono…

The late Nigerian thinker, scholar and literary critic, Pius Adesanmi, will be buried on Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. Details made available to this newspaper showed that the remains of the renowned scholar will be laid to rest in Ottawa, Canada. Mr Adesanmi, a Nigerian-born Canadian scholar, died on March…

Telecommunications giant, MTN, on Thursday said that the new charging model for USSD banking services has not gone into effect. A statement signed by Uto Ukpanah, the company secretary, said that the telecommunication firm is willing to collaborate with all stakeholders in the interest of their customers. The statement, sent…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted Airtel Networks Limited an approval to partially disconnect Globacom from its network. The regulatory agency said the approval was because of Globacom’s failure to settle interconnect debts. The partial disconnection will make it impossible for Glo subscribers to make calls to Airtel network.…

A Royal Air Maroc flight with registration number CN-RNQ returned to the Lagos airport Sunday morning after the pilot discovered that the cargo door light flickered. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the pilot flying the B737-700 belonging to the airline immediately alerted the control tower after the discovery, requesting to return…

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to buy Eland Oil & Gas Plc. The company made this known in a disclosure notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange and signed by Edith Onwuchekwa, the Company Secretary. Seplat is a leading Nigerian independent oil and…

The National Bureau of Statistics on Friday said that the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory generated N691.1 billion in the first half of 2019. The NBS in a report detailing the Internally Generated Revenue at State level for Q1-Q2 2019 the states witnessed an increase…

Musiliu Ayinde Ayedaade Akinsanya (a.k.a Mc Oluomo) is a satirist’s delight, always. This is largely because his phenomenal growth and increasing influence in the overall scheme of things in our polity embody the paradox of the Nigerian condition. Penultimate weekend, he was again in the news as a footnote of…

The Naira Marley trilogy----Soapy, Opotoyi, and Am I a Yahoo Boy?---is a study in curious unification: it has that capacity to melt into one fanatic crowd, a herd of impenitent sinners and venturesome saints. And this unity is no respecter of geography; it exists in the club, the pub or…

The management of Dangote Flour Mills on Friday announced the postponement of the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year ended December 2018. The postponement, the company said, was necessitated by a court order. Details of the new development were contained in a disclosure notice sent to the Nigerian…

A Nigerian firm, Softcom, has launched an innovative payment solution product named Eyowo, which it says will revolutionise how people send, spend, save, receive and borrow money. The company said that Eyowo aims to provide simple, modern and reliable financial services to anyone with a phone number. This includes consumers,…

The Royal Court of Justice on Tuesday unanimously dismissed banking giant JP Morgan's appeal against the Nigerian government over its role in the controversial Malabu scandal. According to civic campaigner, Barnaby Pace of Global Witness, who was at the court on Tuesday, the court took no view on the underlying…

May & Baker Nigeria Plc on Wednesday announced the retirement of Theophilus Danjuma as a director and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. The retirement, which took effect from the close of business on September 27, came against the background of the Board Meeting of the…