AKITA Declares Dividend

CALGARY, May 5 - AKITA Drilling Ltd.'s Board of Directors approved the payment of a quarterly dividend to shareholders. AKITA Drilling Ltd.'s Board of Directors approved an ordinary cash dividend of seven cents ($0.07) per share on the Outstanding Class A Non-Voting and Class B Common shares of the Corporation for payment on July 2, 2009 to shareholders of record at the close of business June 18, 2009. This dividend is an eligible dividend for Canadian Income Tax Purposes.

AKITA is an Alberta corporation engaged in the contract drilling business in Western Canada and the North and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AKT.

For further information please contact Murray Roth, Vice President of Finance,
(403)292-7950. Web site: http://www.akita-drilling.com