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  • Low global cocoa prices crippling Ghana – official

    (Xinhua/NAN) Without government subsidy, Ghana’s cocoa sector would have difficulty financing its core activities, said Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen-Aidoo.

    Government support has become critical due to the lowering price of cocoa on the world market that has made Ghana, the second largest producer of cocoa in the world, struggle to meet its obligation to farmers as well as keep developing the sector.

    The cocoa sector, according to the CEO, has been compelled to cut down on a lot of its core operational cost due to the lower outturn in cocoa revenue as a result of lower cocoa prices.

    While the regulator spends 2,400 dollars per ton, including 1,800 as producer price and 600 to cover buyers’ margin, haulage, storage, conditioning before shipment, global price for cocoa has fallen to 2,100 dollars.

    This has left the cocoa market regulator in deficits whenever prices fall below 2,400 dollars, Boahen-Aidoo pointed at the 80th Anniversary lecture of the Cocoa Research Institute.

    “We have been running at a loss. In fact, in 2017 there was a deficit of 2.03 billion Ghana cedis (428.6 million dollars). That was the difference,” he said.

    This happened “because the price of cocoa hovered around 1,700 dollars and 2,100 dollars which was woefully below the operational required cost of 2,400 dollars.

    So any time the price of cocoa goes below that level, we are in trouble,” he said.

    Stakeholders, therefore, fear that without government intervention, the sector could lose its right of place as the backbone of the Ghanaian economy.

    “And as I have explained, we cannot also reduce the producer price because the moment we do that, farmers will leave cocoa and give out their land for other purposes, including illegal mining,” Boahen-Aidoo cautioned.

    He said COCOBOD had been in talks with the government to cushion the industry because, for a long while, cocoa has supported the country.

    “So, if price is falling on the world market, through no fault of ours, then the country has to support the cocoa farmers to sustain them because if we do not sustain them and they cut down the cocoa, as is happening in the Eastern Region, to plant rubber, then Ghana would be in trouble,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, who account for about 60 per cent of annual global cocoa production, are in talks to harmonise their trading in cocoa to control what goes into the market at any given time to ensure that the chocolate beans are bought at a fairly appreciable price. (Xinhua/NAN)
    Edited by Fatima Sule/Felix Ajide

  • ‘Fears of nuclear war still with us’ – Guterres

    By Prudence Arobani

    The fears of nuclear war are still with humanity, 73 years since the catastrophic Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombs in August 1945, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated this at the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.

    Guterres regretted that today, States still spent large sums of money on arms and armies.

    At the final stage of World War II, the U.S. detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, killing at least 129,000 people and they remained the only use of nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.

    The UN chief said: “sadly, 73 years on, fears of nuclear war are still with us.

    “Millions of people, including here in Japan, live in a shadow cast by the dread of unthinkable carnage.

    “States in possession of nuclear weapons are spending vast sums to modernise their arsenals.

    “More than $1.7 trillion dollars was spent in 2017 on arms and armies – the highest level since the end of the Cold War and around 80 times the amount needed for global humanitarian aid’’.

    According to him, disarmament processes have slowed, and even come to a halt, and many states demonstrated their frustration by adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.

    “Let us also recognise the persistent peril of other deadly weapons.

    “Chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, and those being developed for cyberwarfare pose a grave threat.

    “Conflicts fought with conventional weapons are lasting longer and are becoming more deadly for civilians.

    “There is an urgent need for disarmament of all kinds, but especially nuclear disarmament.’’

    The secretary-general said the consequences of nuclear weapons was the backdrop of the global disarmament initiative that he launched in May.

    He said disarmament was a driving force for maintaining international peace and security.

    Guterres added that it was a tool for ensuring national security and helps to uphold the principles of humanity, promote sustainable development and protect civilians.

    He said his agenda for disarmament was based on concrete measures that would lower the risk of nuclear annihilation, prevent conflict of all kinds and reduce the suffering that the proliferation and use of arms cause to civilians.

    The UN chief said the agenda made clear that nuclear weapons undermined global, national and human security.

    He added that total elimination of nuclear weapons remained the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.

    Guterres conveyed deepest respect and condolences to all the victims and survivors of the atomic bombs that killed and injured tens of thousands of people in the immediate aftermath of the blasts.

    He said the survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima – the Hibakusha – have become leaders for peace and disarmament in Japan and around the world.

    “There can be no more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis and so no more Hibakusha,’’ Guterres declared.

    He added: “here in Nagasaki, I call on all countries to commit to nuclear disarmament and to start making visible progress as a matter of urgency.

    “Let Nagasaki and Hiroshima remind us to put peace first every day; to work on conflict prevention and resolution, reconciliation and dialogue and to tackle the roots of conflict and violence’’.

    According to him, peace is not an abstract concept and it does not come about by chance but is tangible and can be built by hard work, solidarity, compassion and respect.

    “Out of the horror of the atomic bomb, we can reach a deeper understanding of our irreducible bonds of responsibility to each other.

    “Let us all commit to making Nagasaki the last place on earth to suffer nuclear devastation.

    “I will work with you to that end,’’ Guterres said. (NAN)

    Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

  • Melania Trump’s parents become U.S. citizens under rules her husband hates

    Migrants

    Washington, Aug. 10, 2018 (dpa/NAN)Melania Trump’s parents on Thursday received American citizenship under so-called “chain migration” rules her husband, President Donald Trump, has frequently derided.

    The first lady’s Slovenian-born parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, were sworn in in New York City, their lawyer Michael Wildes said, adding that the couple received no preferential treatment.

    Asked by the New York Times if the couple had become citizens through “chain migration,” Wildes answered “I suppose.”

    Wildes said the term was a “dirtier” way of describing “a bedrock of our immigration process when it comes to family reunification,” the Times reported.

    President Trump has frequently slammed the process under which legal U.S. residents can sponsor the admission of family members and other people who are not close relatives.

    In November, Trump tweeted that the process “must end now!”

    “Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil. NOT ACCEPTABLE!” he wrote.

    Melania Trump was born Melania Knavs in what was then the communist country of Yugoslavia and later changed her surname to Knauss. (dpa/NAN)

  • Indian Railways undertakes world’s largest recruitment drive

    (Xinhua/NAN)The Indian Railways has begun its world’s largest recruitment drive

    to fill up nearly 120,000 vacancies for which a whopping 24 million people have applied.

    According to official sources, the examinations will be conducted in three shifts per day for 10 days.

    As many as 439 exam centres have been set up in 166 cities across the country.

    Question papers for conducting the examinations are being provided to the candidates in 15 languages,
    considering the interest of candidates belonging to different language backgrounds across the
    country.

    The first exam was held on Thursday.

    “There has been a tremendous response and an unprecedented number of more than 74 per cent candidates
    have attended the examination today.

    Total 359,605 candidates have participated in today’s examination.

    This attendance is a record for all railway examinations conducted so far,” said an official statement.

    During the recruitment process every effort has been made to provide nearby centers to the candidates, while
    keeping in view the constraint of availability of suitable centres, equipped with necessary infrastructure
    and security provisions.

    Around 83 per cent candidates have been provided centers within a distance 643 km from their homes.

    Special trains are being run to help the candidates reach their examination centres, said officials
    of the ministry of railways said. (Xinhua/NAN)
    SH

  • Association urges politicians to play politics with decorum

    By Mustapha Sumaila

    The Nigeria Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS) has advised politicians to play politics with decorum to ensure sustenance of democracy and safety of lives and property of Nigerians.

    The National President of the association, Prof. Sani Musa and the Secretary, Dr Abubakar Hassan gave the advice in a communiqué they signed in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The communiqué came at the end of the association National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

    The association said that tensions and challenges caused by politicians were threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria as a nation.

    According to the group, politicians must ensure that the unity among different ethnic tribes and faiths in the country are sustained before, during and after election.

    The association also enjoined government at all levels to make the welfare of Nigerians a priority in order to ameliorate the hardship experienced by the citizens.

    “State Governments that are not paying salaries should as a matter of urgency, pay all the entitlements of workers in order to address the challenges of poverty.

    “Also, efforts of the Federal Government in fighting corruption should be intensified to cut across all sectors.” (NAN)
    Edited by Dada Ahmed

  • Agency advises against spreading raw food by road side

    Agency advises against spreading raw food by road side

    Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA) has advised communities in Niger to desist from spreading raw food by the road side, in the interest of public health.

    The General Manager of the agency, Mr Lucky Barau, made the call in an interview with the news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Friday.

    Barau, who said that the development usually expose such raw food to vehicle exhaust fumes, warned that the agency would not fold its hands seeing unhealthy habit with health challenges.

    He said that vehicle exhaust fumes contained certain poisonous chemicals, including carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide, soot, nitrogen oxides and benzene that were harmful to human organs as well as animals.

    “There are pollutants that cannot be destroyed by cooking and when they are consumed, they cause harm to the body tissues.

    “They are materials called persistent organic pollutants, they persist and they cannot be destroyed as they keep on changing from one form to another.

    “Pollutants, when cooked and eaten, go into the human system and keep accumulating on human organs and bio magnify by increasing their concentration on the tissues.

    “These organisms are dangerous to the body issues and cause numerous health challenges as they travel up the food chain,“ he said.

    The general manager said the agency had met with the local government chairmen to sensitise them on the need for people to cultivate the culture of safe food preservation as well as checking the danger inherent in spreading raw food by the road side.

    He warned that the agency would invoke the provision of the law on defaulters, if advice and warnings were not heeded to after sensitisation.

    According to the general manager, the task force from the agency will soon commence patrol of the area with a view to arresting defaulters. (NAN)

  • EKITI govt decries killing of Oni’s aide

    .Fayemi commiserates with family

    Ekiti State Government has condemned the murder of Mr. Bunmi Ojo, a former Personal Assistant to ex-Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Segun Oni, charging police and other security agencies to fish out his killers and bring them to justice.
    In a statement issued on Saturday, by the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the government condoled with the families, friends and political associates of the deceased, praying that God in His infinite mercies will console and uphold his wife and children.

    “The manner in which Bunmi Ojo, a commissioner in the Federal Character Commission and strong ally of Chief Segun Oni was killed is a demonstration of the extent some devilish people can go to settle scores with their fellow men and the security agencies must not add this gruesome murder to the diary of unresolved murders in Nigeria.

    On the part of the State Government, all necessary assistance will be provided for the security agencies to aide thorough investigation of the murder and arrest of the perpetrators,” the government said.

    The State government, which called for vigilance among residents of the State, lamented that the peace enjoyed in the State since Governor Ayodele Fayose assumed office on October 16, 2014 had been shattered since May this year that the APC returned with its do-or-die politics.
    “The State was peaceful until May 5, 2018 when members of the APC openly disrupted the party’s primary election, with gunshots. This was after Olalekan Taiwo, aide of one of the APC governorship aspirants, Dr Oluwole Oluleye, had been shot on May 4.

    “The violence at the APC primaries was followed up by the shootings at the party secretariat during a reception organized for Dr. Kayode Fayemi, which left Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele and six others injured as well as invasion of the State with thugs during the July 14 governorship election.

    “It has, therefore, become necessary for Ekiti people to be vigilant especially now that the political environment is expected to be confronted with the case filed by Chief Segun Oni against Dr. Fayemi, challenging his eligibility to contest the APC primary as well as the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, at the Tribunal.”
    Meanwhile, the Media Office of Ekiti State Governor-Elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has commiserated with the family of the slained Bunmi Ojo.

    In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity, Wole Olujobi, Fayemi expressed shock and sadness over the late Ojo’s murder, saying that the killing of the late politician was a sad commentary that shattered the relative peace the state had enjoyed after the July 14 governorship poll.

    While commiserating with the family of the late politician, Fayemi charged security agencies to live up to their responsibility to get to the root of the killing and bring perpetrators to justice.

    The Governor-elect, who noted that he had known Ojo at a younger age as an activist with vision and commitment to human development, said: “This is a sad development that should not be allowed to go away without getting to the root of this killing, but then the public must give security agencies chance to do their job to get to the root of this sad development and security agencies are enjoined to swing into action to apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime to check the activities of criminals in Ekiti State.

    “This is the minimum responsibility the security agencies owe the public so that Ekiti people can live in peace without any threat to the security and peace of the state.
    “While commiserating with the family of the deceased and entire members of APC, we pray God to grant him eternal rest”.

  • NAHCO records N4.6bn half year turnover

    NAHCO records N4.6bn half year turnover

    The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc has recorded N4.64 billion as its 2018 half year turnover.

    Mr Tayo Ajakaye, General Manager, Communications and Corporate Services of NAHCO, made this known on Saturday in Lagos.

    Ajakaye said that this was against the N3.71 billion recorded in the same period under review in 2017, adding that it showed an improved financial performance.

    He explained further that the ground handling firm’s 2018 half year results showed a 125.07 per cent increase.

    Ajakaye said the profit before tax (PBT) stood at N500.97 million as against N203.08 million recorded as at half year 2017, showing increase over last year.

    “Profit After Tax for the half year 2018 stands at N418.57 million, which shows an increase of 237.39 per cent over the N176.32 million recorded in the same period under review,’’ he added.

    The Managing Director of NAHCO, Mr Idris Yakubu, said the achievement was as a result of growing faith in the new management that has superintended the affairs of the company during the period.

    Yakubu said: “We are pleased with the progress made by your company (NAHCO) in sustaining earnings, profit and operating performance in our business during the year.

    “We are pleased with the patronage of our valued clients; the airlines, the agents, as well as the contributions of dedicated staff to this very positive result.

    “Management is committed to staff welfare and will continue the negotiation on the staff condition of service and conclude before the current booklet expires in September 2018.

    “Management’s commitment to staff welfare led NAHCO to be adjudged as one of the top 100 best places to work in Nigeria in 2018 by highly rated Jobber man,’’ he said.

    Yakubu said that shareholders should look forward to sustained profit performance at the end of the year on the back of the strong showing of the first half of 2018.

    He said that the company recently concluded its AGM in Abuja where shareholders approved its plans to acquire new Ground Support Equipment (GSE).

    Yakubu said he was impressed with the company’s board and shareholders on the necessity for the equipment to enable it to better serve its clients. (NAN)

  • Oil steady as emerging market woes dim demand outlook

    Oil prices were steady on Monday as trade tensions and troubled emerging markets dented the outlook for fuel demand, although U.S. sanctions against Iran pointed towards tighter supply ahead.

    Oil prices were mixed with Brent was up at 72.73 dollars a barrel, while U.S. crude added 5 cents to 67.68 dollars .

    Benchmark Brent crude oil was steady at 72.71 dollars a barrel by 1130 GMT. U.S. light crude was to 67.33 dollars.

    Oil prices edged lower, with Brent crude was at 72.72 dollars a barrel and U.S. crude was at 67.33 dollars.This is news one hour after the above news on oil.

    The report on oil shows gross inconsistency on oil report.

    Analysts maintain oil is supposed to have arrived at 100 dollars by now if not for perverted language used in its report.

    Turkey’s financial crisis has raised the risk of contagion throughout emerging economies, dragging down South Africa’s rand, Argentina and Mexico’s pesos as well as the Russian rouble.

    It has also dented emerging market stocks while curbing growth and the outlook for oil demand.

    This is compounding worries that a deepening trade war between the United States, China and the European Union will squeeze business activity in the world’s biggest economies.

    Hedge funds and other money managers reduced their bullish positions in U.S. crude futures and options in the week ending Aug. 7, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed on Friday.

    Phillip Futures said that hedge funds had cut bullish bets on oil because of “rising production levels from OPEC and the United States”.

    In spite of the cautious mood in oil markets, bullish sentiment found some support from expectations that U.S. sanctions against Tehran would restrict Iranian crude exports, tightening global supply.

    The United States has started implementing new sanctions against Iran, which from November will also target the country’s petroleum sector.

    Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq, pumping 3.65 million bpd in July, media data show.

    “There are lots of variables in the oil market, the most important of which is Iran,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.

    “If 1 million bpd or more of Iranian exports go AWOL, the current fragile supply-demand balance will be upended, potentially sending oil prices above the May peak.” (Reuters/NAN)