@lalasticlala

The point where one of the parties introduce their partners to their parents is considered one of the biggest steps in a relationship.

For certain people, It is what separates casual frolicking from the real deal. Most people wait till they have the conviction that they are with someone they will eventually end up with before even taking that step. While some people dread getting to this point other people actually look forward to having a partner they can introduce to their parents because they feel like it’s a significant point in a supposedly serious relationship.

According to Miriam, introducing her boyfriend to her parents is a way of concretizing his place in her life. Any guy who is serious with you shouldn’t mind being introduced to the parents of his partner, she argued.

Abdulaziz however, dreads that point of a relationship. According to him, everything gets awkward the moment family gets involved.
“You have to start getting used to visiting her at home in presence of her people where you have to start acting all prim and proper. You can’t even initiate any form of intimacy when you are there.”

Tosin also agrees with Abdulaziz above, positing that introducing parents to a relationship may prematurely fast track the relationship, making it easier for the couple to make hasty decisions they may regret later. He also stated that certain parents might be unnecessarily intrusive and that will make things a whole lot awkward for the parties involved. He told of a time he was dating a girl whose mom started to call him ceaselessly, and how every time he had a minor altercation the parents of the girl would be brought into it.

Francis feels the same way. According to him, bringing family into the relationship may accelerate the relationship into a level that the guy may not be prepared for yet.

At what point do you think it is necessary for parents to be brought into a relationship?

Source: https://cover9ja.com/when-should-parents-be-involved-in-a-relationship/

@lalasticlala

Friend zoning I believe strongly that by now we already know what it means. It is that ugly, grey area in a girl-guy relationship where one party (mostly the guy) falls for the other but is being strongly kept as just friends by the other party. This happens so much that explaining it further will be redundant. Frankly. But that's beside the point.

Every time a girl friend zones a guy they play the ostrich. They start playing innocent, acting like they don't understand why the guy is acting different. Acting like they "accidentally" hurt the guy.

I think, really, that women do these things deliberately. There's no level of innocence or naivety that blinds you to the fact that the guy you're rolling with has more intimate interests in you than normal friendship.

You are young, single and eligible. Rolling with a guy who is single too. You both have borderless conversations that extends to a flirtatious intimacy. There is a clear difference between a guy who you see as just a platonic friend and a guy you're prepositioning for something even deeper than that. If you don't want to Bleep with a guy in that way, why not just fucking create the boundaries? Friend zoning shouldn't take place.

Like, no guy will cry about being friend zoned if you didn't relate with him in a way that gave him genuine hopes. You literally open your door and motion to him to come on in, and when he tries to walk in you tell him "did I ask you to come in?"

You cannot explain how you don't know when a guy is obviously interested in you. You can either encourage him or create necessary boundaries so he knows his place. When after you take his time and money and attention and affection and finally he asks you out and you tell him that you can't date him because "reasons", he is in his emotional rights to feel hurt. When he gets hurt and withdraw from you then it is funny when you start playing oblivious.

Plus I think we need to stop pretending that it is absolutely normal for a guy to be overly nice to a girl just because he's nice like that. While it happens on rare occasions, most of the time there is an end goal. The goalpost may either be your heart or somewhere between your legs. Or, both.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/friend-zoning-women-need-to-stop-playing-the-ostrich/

InvisibleB:

Some Nigerians use USA adsense, some use UK adsense and so on. So if you are in the USA and you helped a Nigerian friend receive his pin, it means your friend is using USA adsense and receives payment via payoneer.

Oh got it

InvisibleB:

It is obviously a Nigerian adsense so Google would not mail the pin to an American address I suppose.

I did help Deedee’s blog to receive his back then

@lalasticlala @mynd44

Love him, hate him, or stay atop the fence, Wizkid has arguably earned bragging rights as the most prominent entertainment export from Africa.

Perhaps with an uncanny sense of foretelling, the hitmaker had already acknowledged this superstar status since 2011. Since then, his growth has been swift, sustained and with no significant breaks in transmission. At just 27, having won every major award on the continent, broken into the international scene with a bang, the highlight of his career so far was selling out at the Royal Albert Hall late last year.

A famous venue which has played host to the likes of Fritz Lang, Shirley Bassey, and Stevie Wonder, you cannot help but feel proud of the young man even if you’re not a fan of his music (or lifestyle). The show which was filmed live ubiquitously on the internet as well as on his official social media pages was met with generally effusive reactions from the crowd. He held the racially diverse 500+ audience spellbound for the full duration of his headlining act, belting out throwback songs such as ‘Jaiye jaiye,’ ‘Ojuelegba,’ and his more recent crossover sounds.

Before this, he was ranked fifth on Top 10 Richest/Bankable African Artists on Forbes and Channel O’s 2013 lists. He was also the first Nigerian music artist to reach one million followers on Twitter. Add these to his very weighty collection of local, continental and international awards, Wizkid is quite the achiever.

However, his career has not always been smooth roads and red wine. The very things that make people famous can often also be the things that cause their downfall. And while Wizkid’s sheer brilliance have over the years overshadowed his long list of faux pas, his career is currently in danger of the cumulative effect of his mistakes adding up.

Wizkid is a product of a generation of artistes who prioritize lavish spending and rolling out hit singles and net busters over craft and technicality; an “anyway na way” approach if you like. For many players in the current Nigerian music demography, artistry and stagecraft are unknown concepts. This can be seen in the pervading culture of lip-synching at live performances and a general lack of lyricism.

This is a pitfall that Wizkid has not been able to escape.

The somewhat hidden danger that comes with having such a massive cache of hit songs across Africa is that it’s not difficult to get complacent. Lip synching often does not speak well for the art. What is the point of having fans pay crazy amounts of money to watch their favorite acts perform, yet making them sit through a cacophony of auto-piloted performances geared to help the artistes cheat their way through live shows?

We could have just stayed at home and played your songs on the stereo.

A sharp contrast to Phyno or Dagrin, or Sound Sultan, Wizkid is neither a pacesetter nor an innovator. He merely rides on trends rather than create them. Also, while he has quite the distinctive vocal play, he isn’t exactly a great singer, especially as his vocal range has reduced significantly since Superstar days. Songwriting skills? Suffering from a chronic case of chronic deficiencia.

Sure enough, Wizkid is well on his way to attaining legendary status (already has been compared to Fela Kuti in some circles, but the pop star hasn’t just done enough as a performing artiste. He needs to wake up to the reality of changing times. Music is becoming more than just pretty faces and catchy hooks; music artistes the world over are now making statements. Sure, hit singles will make you famous, but consistent excellent live performances usually separate the sheep from lions.

There is also the issue of under-par PR. He has had his share of distasteful fights on social media, trolling naysayers and spewing misogyny-laden rants directed at bloggers. All of these may win him love among Twitter’s ‘children of anger,’ but you cannot get over the feeling that his brand is now bigger than his ego, and his energies could instead be directed at creating—and defining—a solid legacy.

Right now, Wizkid is firmly at the apogee of contemporary Afro-pop culture and packaged alongside his reedy voice and self-belief, can become even an even bigger icon. But he needs to realize that while his ascent to such high level was rapid, it takes discipline, effort, and character to sustain it.

And he simply has to start showing more.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/its-time-for-wizkid-to-start-considering-legacy/

zoho23:
my last ADSENSE pin was generated onAug 1, 2018 But it didn't come to my address. I've waited till today 45th October ,2018 still I didn't receive any letter. Now adsense showing me-

You have less than one month to verify your PIN, otherwise your ad units will stop displaying ads.

Is there anything to change there? Should I request for new pin now (It may take more than a month to come I think) ? or should I do something else ?

Its faster if you as them to resend. Before you do, I would advice you get someone in the US to help you receive it. Its faster that way.

@lalasticlala

Turning the senate seat to a retirement home. After spending the heyday of one’s life working, it is only reasonable to at some point take a bow and have another feel of life. Most politicians in this part of the globe, particularly past and present state governors, disagree action-wise.

The senate, upper house of the National Assembly, is the highest law-making body in Nigeria. Enormous power wielded by this hallowed chamber is not in question. The uninspiring and unpleasant trend of outgoing two-term governors seeking refuge in the senate mostly for political relevance is just nauseous. Hints which reveal that they see nothing wrong with it solicits some clarification, one that this piece tries to provide.

Holding office of state governor for eight years is a privilege that comes with many privileges while in or out of office. This arms its occupant with substantial powers in the state as well as his/her political party. With such room, a number one citizen can engineer an enduring revolution that considerably meets the needs of people within the state; the resources, legislature and judiciary are there to support, so there is no excuse for under-performance. Yet, most governors in this democratic dispensation have been a disaster, even after governing for close to a decade. Embezzlement of public funds, collection of billions of naira in security votes, and giving peanuts as dividends of democracy to their respective states are commonplace. Instead of burying their heads in shame, they crave to carry over their incompetence to the Senate.

Often, their leadership passiveness becomes obvious in the red chamber where cluelessness leaves them helplessly silent, most times, as bills and national issues are debated on. Monthly collecting millions of naira as a senator and pension as a former governor seem enough. Currently, there are over ten senators in the National Assembly who are former governors and the number is set to increase in 2019, as outgoing governors claim to be purchasing senatorial election forms based on the people’s prompting–a white lie. This quest to remain a power broker at all costs denies other qualified Nigerians in a senatorial district capable of doing a better job the chance to emerge. Rather than be without a political office, turning the senate to a retirement home is in their reckoning prudent.

To a great extent, underlying governors rush to the Senate is insecurity. If a state governor performed satisfactorily well while in office, enhancing the living standards of his people with needed infrastructures, avoiding the siphon of public funds, and paying benefits to workers regularly, his political influence would be long-lasting. Widespread loyalty would thus be earned. The frog doesn’t run in the afternoon for nothing; fear pursues this one. To discourage this political habit that is in disfavour to the masses, overlooking inept former and current governors while voting in the coming elections is what you and I must do, no matter the incentive.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/when-senate-seat-turns-a-retirement-home-of-ex-governors/

@lalasticlala

Disclaimer: This is a listicle of things a man should never do, not a constitution. We won’t penalize you for disagreeing; you’ll only look like a fool. If you’re an adult male, here’s a list of things you should never do, no matter how long you live:

1. Invest your life savings in a company when you don’t understand its business.
2. Ask a woman, “what are you thinking about?” Especially when she’s pissed. That’s Pandora’s box right there. You do not want to open it. Trust me, I’d know.
3. Get drunk in public. Alone. Without a means of getting back home safely
4. Break your word.
5. Fail to read a book in a year
6. Take relationship tips from watching popular movies, romcoms and television shows.
7. Enjoy One-upping any girl. Nothing makes me want to stab myself in the eye with cutlery than a man who feels like he has to compete
with a girl in every sentence.
Example:
Her: Oh, I love Chinese food.
You: Have you been to China before?
Her: Yes, I went on holiday there for a few months
You: Well, I was once the president of China. (Extreme, but you get my drift).
8. Cheat on your wife. Evade taxes. Hide a tile when playing Scrabble with your kids.
9. Name your penis your name plus “Junior.”
10. Say things like, “I have your type at home” to a woman in public.
11. Body shame anyone.
12. Promise you’ll call someone, then never call.
13. Ask your wife/girlfriend “Is that what you’re going to wear?” Best case scenario, you’ll be waiting in the sitting room for the next one hour while she tries on twenty-five other different outfits. Worse still, your opinion will be needed on all of them, and when you say “that looks amazing can we go now?” she’ll not believe you.
14. Have double standards. Grow some balls and own up to it, you cheap son of a gun!
15. Ogle at a girl (ii) catcall (iii) Grope a girl. Sure, her buttons are struggling to contain her ample bosoms. Sure, she might be “your colour,” But “pervert” and “sexual predator” isn’t a label you can just shake off.
16. Slut-shame a woman
17. Lie to a child.
18. Cut your hair yourself. Don’t be a cheapo. Save yourself from looking like a cross between Smeagol and Johnny Bravo.
19. Be afraid to work hard.
20. Allow a bully to go unchallenged in any situation.
21. Blame others or circumstances for your own mistakes.
22. Snoop through her phone, closets, or medicine chest. There’s probably nothing in there you need to worry about. But rest assured, you’ll find something you don’t want to see.
23. Let your briefs show above your jeans (i.e. sag). We really don’t want to know you finally got a pair of Aldos.
24. Refer to breasts as chesticles.
25. As a student, take a girl to night class (ii) Chat with any girl during night class.
26. Watch Zee World. (ii) Enjoy Zee World.
27. Lie (ii) Believe a lie (iii) Lie to yourself.
28. Call out your significant other in public. (ii) Inflict physical harm on them.

That’s it guys! Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments section.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/30-things-a-man-should-never-do-no-matter-how-long-he-lives/

@lalasticlala

Best friends (Besties). Most people have one, some others have more. But then it sorts of get dicey when one has a bestie of the opposite sex and it gets a whole lot more complicated when that person gets into a relationship.

A Bestie is the 21st century term for best friend. Having a bestie of the opposite sex is cute if you look at it, having someone of the opposite sex you can talk to and be naturally comfortable with. However, it becomes complicated when someone who has a best friend of the opposite sex gets into a relationship.

For a lot of reasons, people are often uncomfortable with their partners having best friends of the opposite sex. Yesterday while chatting with my friends over roasted plantain in am evening outing I tried to engage them in a conversation bothering on the whole bestie thing. Would they keep besties of the opposite sex while in a relationship?

According to Jane, 25, a graduate of Geology turned model, she didn’t have a problem with it. She said even though she’s currently in a relationship she has a bestie she confides in whom she has a very great relationship with.

However, Lanre, a final year student of Medicine strongly disagreed. According to him, having a best friend of the opposite sex while being in a relationship tends to serve as a huge distraction because one may not be able to draw the boundaries between a bestie and a partner. He also argued that one’s partner is supposed to be one’s best friend and chief confidant, and that if one has a bestie of the opposite sex then what’s the primary function of the person’s partner?

Obinna, a banker, in agreement with Lanre also argued that having a best friend of the opposite sex is tantamount to putting one’s self in a very fishy position. He recalled how many of his so-called besties he had a sexual relationship with while they were with someone else. According to him:

“Imagine that you have a girlfriend who has a guy who is her bestie and you both have a fight. She runs to the guy for support and at that point she’s very vulnerable. What if the guy decides to take advantage of her?”

Chisara, a blogger and a journalist differed. She insisted that everyone could have that one friend who could help reduce the emotional burden for one’s partner by being there when the partner cannot be there and it didn’t matter what gender the person was. She argued that with discipline, one could handle a relationship with their partners and besties without compromising anything.

Well, since there was no clear-cut answer to this lingering question, I decided to bring it to you valued readers. What do you think about having a best friend of the opposite sex while being in a relationship? Can one manage their relationship with the best friend and their partners at the same time?

Source: https://cover9ja.com/having-besties-while-in-a-relationship-a-good-idea/

How big a deal is the front seat?

Altercations have been well executed, rifts well indulged in, other forms of petty squabbles gotten into over whose bum gets to sit on the front seat of a vehicle. While that strategic seat in the vehicle may look like just another seat in a car, it has certain level of importance attached to it for varying reasons.

Firstly, the front seat is the most convenient seat in the car after the driver’s seat. Sitting there affords you a much better view of the outside during a ride. Secondly and most importantly, the front seat confers some sort of personal importance to whoever gets to share it with the driver especially if that driver is the owner of the vehicle. That seat has gone beyond just another seat in the car. It has evolved into a symbol of acquiescence with the person who is driving. In simpler terms, the person who shares the front seat with the driver is usually considered the most important person to the driver.

For this reason, what is supposed to be just another seat in a vehicle has not only become an object of heavy significance but has become the subject of both direct and subtle tussles. We have had girlfriends demanding to have the front seat permanently assigned to her while getting offended if the seat is offered to someone who doesn’t have an intimate relationship with her man.

Now the question is this: How important is the front seat? Should something considered by some as that trivial be the subject of any form of drama?

Here’s what I think:

When your partner is driving, the most intimate position for you is the front seat. Beside your partner. It’s a position of intimacy. The person sitting beside the driver of the car is usually the driver’s talk buddy. The driver of the car and the other person in the front seat more often than not have an informal relationship, and that’s why bosses sit at the back of the car since their relationship with the driver is very formal.

Most times, the lady doesn’t mind if her boyfriend’s male buddy or his sister is the one in the front seat, because well it doesn’t in any way connote any form of intimacy between the two guys. But don’t expect her to be comfortable with another girl (who is not immediate) sitting in the front with her boyfriend while she sits at the back like some random chic being helped with a lift.

If you walk up to a car and you see a guy behind the wheels, a girl beside him in the front seat, and a girl sitting behind, who are you going to automatically assume is the guy’s girl? I can’t imagine driving a car and some other lady is beside me in the front seat while my partner is at the back. That’s a travesty.

In conclusion, I think there should be a form of mutual understanding between folks on such trivial issues that may escalate into a full blown feud.

Source:https://cover9ja.com/front-seat-tussle-big-deal-or-nah/

@lalasticlala

Cohabiting is simply “living together with”. So, should unmarried folks live together?

Generally, married people live together, except for some rare exceptions of course. However, people seem to be divided in opinions when it comes to the question of whether or not couples that are not legally married should live together, for varying reasons.

It has become common to see young people who are engaged or merely dating cohabiting, and this seems either awkward or straight out wrong to certain people. For these people it either crosses their conservative boundaries or it runs against their logic.

According to Halima: “People who aren’t married yet shouldn’t be staying together. Cohabitation is for married people because they are more equipped to deal with the consequences, not unmarried couples.”

She also argued that people who aren’t married yet should create certain spaces for themselves to make the relationship more solid. Moreover, she added, if they get married they will have a whole lifetime to live together. So why the rush?

In agreeing with Halima, Blessing, a hairdresser said that a girl staying with her boyfriend or any partner she’s not legally married to only makes her a mere possession of her boyfriend and that locks her away from other potential relationships with the right people. According to her, young people should have the space and freedom to explore for themselves and living with a partner robs them of that.

However, Peter disagreed strongly. He argued that people who are hoping to get married could live together in preparation for their marriage. He insisted that living together builds a tighter bond between the couple and that they also learn more about themselves. He said too that living together will give them a glimpse of what being married to each other would be like, and with that they can decide whether or not they are willing to tie the knot in the long run. Moreover, he added, living together saves the cost of rent.

So, here’s a question for the readers: Is it appropriate for unmarried couples to live together?

Source: https://cover9ja.com/on-cohabiting-right-or-wrong/

lalasticlala

Few weeks ago, Nigerian rapper Falz dropped the video to his acclaimed song Child of the World off his sophomore album “27“. As expected, the video dredged a lot of attention, mostly for the message portrayed in the song and ultimately the video. This essay isn’t about the video, but the song ─ the video is merely a reflection of the song. Also, since the release of the video the song has understandably enjoyed a rejuvenation since music videos have a way of dragging attention back to the actual song.

The song has been praised for its conscious message on a salient social issue, rape. On the surface, this song may very much look like the best conscious song of the past year and Nigerians are embracing its good intentions. However, the song−through its subtle re-enforcement of stereotypes and pandering to the general miseducation of rape−actually does a lot of harm in its very conceited and shallow attempt at directing social consciousness towards the subject matter.

The song Child of the World tells the story of a bright young woman who is a virgin. She goes to spend some time with her uncle after her graduation from the University, and “Unku” rapes her. The trauma launches her into a life of sexual promiscuity, and she eventually ends up with HIV.

As earlier mentioned, the message of the song is only reflective on the surface. Beneath it lies the inherent danger that does a lot of insidious damage to the consciousness of the uninformed listener. While many Nigerians have unsurprisingly praised the ‘depth’ of song’s message, some of us saw beyond the feeble attempt at highlighting the evil of sexual violence and the long-term damages that follow.

First off, the song promotes the miseducated assumption that HIV is a consequence of one’s promiscuity. One of the most significant challenges in the fight to end the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS patients is the fact that a lot of people associate the virus with sexual promiscuity, which could not be more wrong considering that sexual intercourse is just one of many ways to contract the virus.

Over the years we’ve had popular media such as movies and stories promoting this stereotype. A very vivid example of this is Tyler Perry’s 2013 romance/drama film Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The film suffered negative reviews from critics because HIV was made the moral karma of the young lady who had cheated on her husband.

In Child of the World, Falz creates a character who, flawed by a predicament she suffered in the hands of a man she once called family, devolves into a sexually promiscuous lady who eventually has to suffer for all of her past ‘sins’ by becoming HIV positive. So familiar, so typical. Like we haven’t watched poorly enough written home videos that fed this stereotype already. I hope the next time you come across an HIV patient you’re not tempted to conclude that she was bunking all the men in her hood.

Second, Child of the World creates a perfect victim; a girl, virgin and living the Nigerian Dream (whatever that is) of finishing school with a first class is raped by her uncle. This begs for ponder; why he had to create a perfect victim for the rape to resonate more. Would (or wouldn’t) the deed be as chilling as it was if the victim wasn’t a virgin? Would it take away the fact that the act was a terrible one if the victim was say, a sexually active girl? We are in an age where rape victims are shamed based on the premise that they were not sexually innocent in the first place. A girl visits her boyfriend, and she’s raped, and people wonder how it is that she claims to be raped when she is already in a sexual relationship with the man. So when you create a rape story that merely echoes the typical stereotype of what a true rape victim should be like, of a victim whose ‘innocence’ was brutally taken away by the sexual predator, you are only mirroring the narrow scope from which rape is viewed from by the society. In essence, you are shielding the listeners from the broader, more extensive spectrum that rape spans in reality.

Thirdly, the story is told of a man who rapes his niece. This is merely pandering to the moral sentiments of the average Nigerian, because frankly, more people will get pissed off at a man who violates his niece, including people who rape other people. I mean, we are stuck in a society that only acknowledges extreme cases’ rape, like a man molesting a child or a relative. Like I asked earlier, would the story resonate more if it were about a girl who got raped by say, a friend or a random guy like it happens most of the time? This is not to negate the fact that a lot of women get sexually violated by relatives they once trusted. But while it is not entirely wrong to create a story that merely mirrors an already popular moral sentiment, is it too much to ask that more could have been done in enlightening people about the subtler acts of sexual violence that people often (very conveniently) choose to brush away.

As if the two above mentioned holes aren’t deep enough, while the uncle entirely gets away with his act, the rest of Child of the World focuses on the girl going through a chain of events triggered by the sexual abuse. She ends up broken and decides to lead a toxic lifestyle that ends up in her contracting HIV before ending up in introspection and eventually U-turning. The girl had to suffer from the consequences of an act that she was a victim of.

The uncle who committed the rape?

Well, his role in the story ends from the point he raped her. It is pertinent to note that while the story is based solely on analyzing the girl and her future choices, the uncle just faded away (very conveniently, again) from the story.
Finally, of course, the sexually promiscuous girl has to have a sexual abuse background story. One would think this plot should be left to soft-sell romance but no, had to be imported right into this song. No, Falz, sexual abuse doesn’t necessarily push girls into irresponsible sexual behavior. It is a very uneducated stereotype too.

Nigerian millennials−not particularly inclined to conscious music as almost all the other mainstream acts prefer to focus on inane content−will celebrate anything wrapped in the veil of socially themed releases. Which is why we can’t entirely knock Child of the World’s weak attempt at conscious music because−like I am wont to be told for writing this piece−unlike his colleagues in the mainstream media, he is at least making an effort.

Strong thoughts aside, Falz’s goof might have come out of good intentions wrongly executed. I hope to God that somehow he improves on the way his messages are presented and we as consumers of Nigerian music get to upgrade our taste in music quality.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/child-world-stereotypes/

frequently demands that citizen data be collected in local data centers, and often restrains movement of that information outside of a country’s borders. The European Union’s GDPR policy is one example, although it’s nearly acceptable. China’s relatively new cloud computing law is much more strict and forced Apple to turn over its Chinese-citizen iCloud data to local providers and Amazon to sell off data center assets in the country.

It appears that will follow the same policy. According to Aditya Kalra in Reuters, an influential cloud policy panel has confirmed that India commands data localization in the country, for investigative and national security reasons, in a draft report set to be released later this year. That panel is headed by well-known local entrepreneurs Kris Gopalakrishnan, who founded Infosys, the IT giant.
That report will correspond other policy statements from the Indian political establishment in recent months. The government’s draft National Digital Communications Policy this year said that data autonomy is a prime mission for the country. The report called for the government by 2022 to “Establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications that safeguard the privacy, autonomy, and choice of individuals and facilitates India’s effective participation in the global digital economy.”

This is the objective of governments around the world. While privacy and protection are certainly uppermost priorities, governments now recognize that the economics of data is going to be critical for future innovation and growth. Managing local control of data — through whatever means required — ensures that cloud providers and other services have to spend locally, even in a global digital economy.

India is both a compelling and an ambiguous display of this model. It is crucial because of the size of its economy: public cloud revenues in the country are expected to hit $2.5 billion this year, according to Gartner’s estimates, an annual growth rate of 37.5%. It is ironic because much of the historical progress of India’s IT industry has been its capacity to offer offshoring and data IT services across borders.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made development and rapid economic growth a top priority of his government. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

India is certainly no stranger to localization demands. In areas as diverse as education and e-commerce, the country keeps strict rules around local ownership and investment. While those rules have been opening up slowly since the 1990s, the explosion of interest in cloud computing has made the gap in regulations around cloud much more apparent.

If the draft report and its various systems become law in India, it would have vital impacts on public cloud providers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Alibaba, all of whom have cloud operations in the country. In order to comply with the regulations, they would almost certainly have to expend significant resources to build additional data centers locally, and also enforce data governance mechanisms to ensure that data didn’t flow from a domestic to a foreign data center accidentally or programmatically.

I’ve written before that these data autonomy regulations sequentially benefit the largest service providers since they’re the only ones with the scale to be able to competently handle the thicket of constantly changing regulations that govern this space.
In the India case though, the expense may well be warranted. Given the phenomenal growth of the Indian cloud IT sector, it’s highly likely that the major cloud providers are already planning a massive expansion to handle the increased storage and computing loads required by local customers. Depending on how simple the regulations are written, there may well be a limited cost to the rules.

One question will involve what level of foreign ownership will be allowed for public cloud providers. Given that several foreign companies already exist in the marketplace, it might be hard to completely eliminate them entirely in favor of local competitors. Yet, the large providers will have their work cut out for them to ensure the market stays open to all.

The real costs though would be borne by other companies, such as startups who rely on customer datasets to power artificial intelligence. Can Indian datasets be used to train an AI model that is used globally? Will the economics be required to stay local, or will the regulations be robust enough to handle global startup innovation? It would be a shame if the very law designed to encourage growth in the IT sector was the one that put a dampener on it.

India’s chief objective is to ensure that Indian data benefits Indian citizens. That’s a laudable goal on the surface, but deeply complicated when it comes time to write these sorts of regulations. Ultimately, consumers should have the right to park their data wherever they want — with a local provider or a foreign one. Data portability should be key to data sovereignty since it is consumers who will drive innovation through their demand for best-in-class services.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/india-next-restricted-business-us-cloud-providers/

Each day in life comes with its own peculiar challenges, which are either acute or less. The nature of these impediments determines the nature of approach and solution required. Man’s natural disposition as a moral being suggests that his actions should take a form that is not detrimental to himself and others, and always act within the ambit of moral stipulations. Knowing what one ought or ought not to do is possible and somewhat accessible in one’s conscience through reason. In our global environs lie many contentious issues, ways of living labelled palatable that cause moral earthquakes.

Relaxing in the living room, eagerly looking forward to being in the know of burning world issues on a certain news channel, my attention was drawn to a controversy in France some time ago. It was reported that an Administrative High Court in France rescinded an earlier legal order that prohibited women from putting on “burkini,” especially in the beach. A burkini is basically a swimsuit worn by women to facilitate swimming, surfing or playing in/beside the waters without being unclad. It is in contrast to the common bikini also worn by women in such vicinities that expose most of their body parts and leave little or nothing to the imagination.
Notwithstanding the stock in trade, some women in France (French and non-French) opted for the burkini beach attire for reasons not unrelated to their values. Values are internally chosen principles or philosophy of behaviour/living that essentially enhances one’s life, which become externally knowable by exhibition. They chose not to jump on the bandwagon, wore what covered their bodies whilst having a good time. You do not really have to dispose your rudimentary beliefs in the waste bin in order to relax and unwind. Value-based enjoyment is advisable.

One could contend that if my fundamental values approve a certain line of action, it follows that one should live and act it. Although this argument is valid, it becomes unsound when such a cherished life-guide gravitates toward marring you instead of making you. Hence, it becomes needful for you and I to re-assess those deep-seated idiosyncrasies, values, ideologies, philosophies, beliefs, perceptions, views we hold dear (no matter how perfect we think they are) and verify their suitability to purposeful living.

Like those courageous women in France, the onus is on us to stand against any current of behaviour or way of life that contradicts our conscience, through words and action. The Nigerian political terrain immensely needs this modus operandi. Doing this is paramount especially in this era of widespread assent to same-sex marriage, sexual recklessness, dishonesty, infidelity, financial mismanagement, malfeasance, oppression of the poor, fraud. Current information says that in Cincinnati, State of Ohio, in the United States of America, one person dies every three hours of hard drugs overdose. What a situation!

It is time to in your own little space react, decide, and act conscientiously. You needn’t conform to the popular, peers-approved lifestyle with an undertone of misfortune for your tomorrow. As electorates, imitating those who trade their votes for money is better discontinued and eschewed. In the Barrack Obama parlance, let’s declare thus: To those that foster out-of-place values, we will defeat you! And to those that foster conscientiousness and good values wherever they find themselves especially in government, we support you!

Source: https://cover9ja.com/global-decline-values-change-needed/

Walmart has partnered with Alphabot to create a robotic system for customers' grocery orders. This technology will be fixed in a 20, 000-square foot extension connected to the store, which will also work as the dedicated grocery pick-up point with drive-thru lanes for customers.

In order to know how long the robotic system can speed up the fulfillment of customers' online grocery orders, Walmart is currently testing the idea to make sure that it will be effective when its ready.

Alphabot has contributed items from storage to Walmart's store staff, who then assemble customers' orders. The retailer believes that this new system will be capable of picking ''vast majority'' of grocery items. This also means that Walmart personal shoppers stroll the aisles meet grocery orders, besides handpicking produce and fresh items.

Alphabot is recognized as the pilot of this project since Walmart is making no promises of a wider rollout at this time. Rather, it's hoping to know more about how the technology can improve this area of its business.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/walmart-unveils-robotic-system-for-customers-grocery-orders/

lalasticlala

Apple finally becomes the first ever company in the US to reach the trillion dollar value. The giant tech iPhone maker achieved this feat today when its stocks was up 2.7% ($207.04) a share.

The giant tech shared the company's healthy quarter 3 earnings that topped forecast on Wednesday. However, given the volatile nature of the stock market, apple may not stay too long as a 1 trillion dollar company.

There are other tech giants companies like Microsoft ($800 billion), Google ($800 billion), and Amazon ($900 billion) who is also on the verge of getting to the trillion dollar value after the reported quarter 3 earnings.

Although, contrary to wide reports, apple is not the first publicly traded company in the world to surpass the trillion dollar mark on the stock market.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/breaking-apple-becomes-us-first-trillion-dollar-company/

Lalasticlala

Society is a medley of different individuals, families, groups, and associations whose interests intersect at some points, irrespective of thin and thick lines of diversity. States in the form of political entities often arise from it, thereby bringing a definite and strategically dynamic structure (all things being equal) to pursuit of the common good.

Key actors in such environments are its citizens whose behavioural dispositions and inclinations significantly determine their political umbrella’s prosperity level. Nigeria’s troubled condition at the moment is inseparable from the tribalism, religious bigotry, ethnicism, nepotism, poor patriotism and what have you, which hold it on the jugular. All these are traces of Inhumanity. This piece, thus, argues that humaneness in the citizenry is precedent to a better Nigeria.

Throughout the length and breadth of the nation, there is a consensus on corruption as a virus which has eaten deep into our national fabric. Rampant in the governmental space and now infecting other spheres of the country, chief reason for its existence is closely tied to selfishness and greed. The huge question marks surrounding the expenditure of bail-out funds provided by the federal government to some state governors to pay outstanding salaries, budget padding insinuations, inauthentic certificate concoctions, sexual harassment of students, money-before-promotion tradition in the civil service, poor or no additional public facilities provision after billions of naira in designation, to mention a few, vividly shows how the good of all is mortgaged for the good of one or few.

A quintessence of inhumaneness. To purge such a disease, thinking about oneself alone all the time at the cost of others’ wellbeing must be abandoned personally and mercilessly frowned at before the law publicly. In Professor Kingsley Moghalu’s words, the era of “fighting highly-placed politicians with deodorants and only ordinary citizens with insecticides” must be ended now. John Maxwell, in one of his irrefutable laws of leadership, contended that “a leader adds value by serving others.” Imbibing such humaneness can make our country work.

Meanwhile, the barrage of killings in recent times–with Boko-haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen playing lead roles–mirrors the ethnic intolerance and religious extremism at the nation’s core. Countless suicide and planted bombings coupled with the reported resolve to ruthlessly promote a Fulani agenda, negate any nation-building efforts. We must understand that no religion nor tribe is an island. This highlights coexistence as an option any religion or tribe genuinely concerned about its well-being must not decline.

The courageous and conscientious Imam in Plateau State, who hid over 300 Christians in the Mosque he oversees during a bloody herdsman attack just few weeks ago, embodies the spirit needed to advance as a nation; humaneness. He has already been hosted by Plateau State Governor Solomon Lalong and is to be awarded a national honour by the president. What a man! The United States of America, largest global economy and world power is a multi-racial state with Asians, Indians, African-Americans, Latinos, Hispanics etcetera, as citizens. Nonetheless, they developed humaneness towards each other which has contributed to their nation’s position in the patheon of nations. Nigerians ought to take a cue. Yes, we can!

However, it is obvious that despite typically blaming Nigeria’s leaders for her impasse, fellow Nigerians are also part of the problem. The long absence of humane attitudes in most of those in government and outside gives numerous political cum social evils a foothold in our national existence. Until Nigerians begin to practically appreciate the human worth of others who are not within their idiosyncratic circle, maximum peace and prosperity would continue to elude Nigeria.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/humane-nigerians-a-prerequisite-for-a-peaceful-and-prosperous-nigeria/

Nigeria's post-independence era has been chequered; one abundant with ups and downs as the nation tries to find her feet. The birth of democracy--a governmental system reputed to concentrate power on the people and ensure masses enjoyment of political leadership dividends--in 1999 seemed to be the answer to our prayer for admission to the league of developed countries. Still distant from the Nigerian dream after 16 years of domination by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a sizeable number of Nigerians relished the idea of change of government and political party patronage.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) party's appearance on the political scene close to 2015, persistent claim of being synonymous to change, and nomination of acclaimed frugal, corruption-antagonist General Muhammadu Buhari as presidential flagbearer, resembled a perfect script. Subscription was massive. The present seriously gainsays that arrangement and sparks the view herein that the APC government has changed from a dream to a nightmare.

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC federal government came to power with the agenda of tackling insecurity, fighting corruption, and revamping the economy. Current indices of the administration's performance in these crucial areas are far from satisfactory. Almost on daily basis, people are being murdered in different parts of the country with impunity. In fact, such grisly reports are quickly becoming mainstream in media outlets--newspapers, news television and radio stations, social media, and so on. The Benue massacre which saw hundreds of Nigerians, among whom were unsupecting Christian clerics performing their priestly duties, lose their lives bleeds the heart. What about the Plateau killings where scores of citizens the government swore to protect met untimely deaths; the picture of a pregnant mother gruesomely butchered and foetus unearthed from her belly is hard to discard from the mind. Organizing mass burials has become the default response. The sheer reactiveness of the APC government under President Buhari of Fulani extraction, despite awareness of some Fulani herdsmen as the immediate cause, elicits thoughts about its possible complicity.

Furthermore, the corruption fight seems lopsided and ludicrous, considering most of the culprits have been from opposition parties. The immediate past secretary to government of the federation, Babachir Lawal, an APC stalwart, walks free to date after weighty, convincing allegations by the national assembly of defrauding the government. The recent shocking Kemi Adeosun NYSC certificate scandal, which allegedly hitherto compelled her to approve billions of naira for some mischievous federal lawmakers behind the scene to keep the secret buried, has been treated with kid gloves. She remains finance minister in an anti-graft driven government. What a paradox!

Today, the giant of Africa has reportedly surpassed India as the nation with the highest number of destitutes in the world. Most Nigerians are hungry and denied equal opportunities of success in life. Basic amenities are still being seen as a luxury. Some corporations are either laying off staff or winding up due to an inclement business operation weather. Nepotism prevents the average qualified graduate from getting employed in big government companies like CBN and NNPC, because he/she knows no senator, representative, minister, or governor. Need I mention the latest brazen usage of government security agencies to intimidate perceived political opponents? Yet, we are reminded at the slightest opportunity that Nigeria is in the change dispensation. But facts say our dream has turned to a nightmare.

Finally, the APC government came in 2015 with so much promise and promises. Nigerians believed in them; maybe a part of you, too. Her focal points in taking the nation to the next level can be rightly appraised as unimpressive. Her move to stay in government beyond 2019 under the same captain is bemusing and questions their supposed good intentions for this nation.

Source: https://cover9ja.com/apc-shift-from-nigerians-dream-change-agent-to-nightmare/