₦airaland Forum

On Friday, June 8, 2018, staff of MTN Nigeria took a walk from Ikoyi to Obalende and back to create awareness of Rhesus Gene incompatibility in pregnant women and its impact on infant and child mortality in Nigeria. The walk was part of its commitment to creating a brighter future under the annual employee volunteerism/CSR campaign tagged 21 Days of Y’ello Care.

Many Nigerians are unaware of what the ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ markers of their blood group means. The staff of the ICT Company took their time to enlighten the public and generate publicity for this silent killer.

At Obalende, the Y’ello walk turned into a dance fest as staff of the company showed off their shaku shaku to the glee of the crowd that gathered. As people poured in to watch, MTNers took the opportunity to spread the word on Rhesus and the effects of knowing one’s rhesus gene.

After the ‘danceathon’, participants of the walk headed back to the base, to end the walk that had taken almost three hours in the Lagos scorching sun.

It was a sight to see the streets covered in y’ello for a great cause. Then, it was an even better sight to see the faces of many passersby light up as they finally understood Rhesus incompatibility.

We know how difficult it can be trying to convince users to make in-app purchases in Nigeria.

Something about having to enter our bank details just discourages even the most enthusiastic users. A common argument is that users may be more likely to pay for digital goods and make in-app purchases if the payment process was easier, say via airtime. So lately I've been wondering.

Do you guys really think airtime payment is the future of digital payment or do you think there's no point hoping for any form of in-app purchases from Nigerians?

Let Me know what you think Guys.

Nigerian Mobile Gaming Company, Maliyo is partnering with Jumia to give away shopping vouchers. These include, 2,000 NGN, 5,000 NGN and 10% discount vouchers.

This is part of the company's effort to reward the passion of Mobile gamers all over the country during this shopping season. Participants, & eventual winners will play Aboki Run & Keke on The Run 2 and complete the daily challenges that will be posted on Maliyo Social Media pages.

The competition begins on the 12th of December and will run through to the 22nd of December and is open to all.

Okay, Maliyo games have come again with their awoof. This time they are giving away 5,000 Naira to people who are able to help Baba Lasisi navigate through the evil forest and escape from lots of possessed creatures.

On getting to level 6, take a screenshot, upload, tag 5 friends and share with Maliyo via any of their social media channels
using the hashtag #MaliyoMoments

IG: https://www.instagram.com/maliyoapp/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/maliyoapp

The battle for the king of the On Demand Taxi has been raging on for years now and the two major competitors remain Uber and Taxify (no, we haven’t forgotten Oga taxi).

Both apps offer very similar services but there have been many a dispute over which offers the best value.
Uber is the bigger brand and arguably the more popular but Taxify seems to have more coverage, as areas such as Igando and Ikotun (Lagos) barely ever get any Uber drivers as opposed to Taxify.

The user interface is similar, though it’s arguable that Taxify attempts to overcomplicate itself with its app design. This is very obvious if you’re switching from Uber to Taxify for the first time. The process of requesting a ride on Taxify can feel a bit (and this is a little bit) more of a task.
Now where it gets interesting is the Price. The Pricing system of both is not too dissimilar so it’s a very difficult to outrightly state which is more expensive. So this one, more than the others, is very open to debate.

Either way, we’d leave you to Judge. Check out our social media pages to join the conversation.

Remember to check out www.maliyo.com for the best of Nigerian apps and games. Also, don’t forget you can win big from our social media pages, simply follow us on.

Twitter: Maliyoapp
Facebook: Maliyo Games
Instagram: MaliyoApp.

With the advent of android app development, they have been many leaps made by Africans who are expressing the African experience through unique and original apps. Some of these apps include Tiro, Orin and the likes. Now we have a new entry into this unique catalog of apps - the pidgin bible. This app allows you translate bible text to pidgin English both for text and audio. This certainly adds a comic twist to reading the bible but away from the humor, the real question here is would you read your bible in pidgin or is this one an absolutely fail on the part of the developers. Let me know what you think.

Remember, you can check out the best Nigerian apps on www.maliyo.com.

Okay, so is it weird that Nigerians are now making mobile games. In the last few years, we’ve seen Aboki Run (The Nigerian Version Of Temple Run), we’ve seen Niger trooper, Ejo (the Naija version of Snake), Chike the Sky Trooper e.t.c. They are decent apps oo but do you think it is worthwhile that Nigerians are making Nigerian versions of apps that are already well known? Would You Download An app like Monkey post as opposed to Pro evolution soccer? Or are they best putting their efforts in other things?

Before you conclude, remember that the amount of Nigerian made apps have been on the rise in the last year. Who knows maybe we are getting close to creating our own Google or WhatsApp.

Anyway, let me hear your opinions.

And yea, developers that are interested in putting up their apps on a platform without any hassles can check out www.maliyo.com. It has a ton of Nigerian made apps and games.

We at www.dala.xyz are looking to hire some new sports writers who are great at predicting matches for betting fanatics.

If you love football and are passionate about writing, then simply apply by completing the short form below


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUoRcYicK3hXdJcpo-WJBAecvZo4HjYXBY2QgvqJL4GAFVVQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Metro Africa Xpress (MAX), a tech mobility company which offers transportation & delivery services is looking to hire new field operatives who are great at communicating & have good interpersonal skills!

Follow the link below to apply.

https:///B3bRK4XHYO

This is a short video showing Various Banks in different parts of Port Harcourt getting electricity illegally.

Electricity theft has become rampant in Rivers state and even a couple of banks are apparently guilty of this crime. It is really shocking that even banks are not playing by the rules in Nigeria.

God help us all.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfaRGgwwGfA

check out www.dala.xyz or www.sparkonline.com.ng. They have some of the best content developers & writers around.

Times have changed, gone are the days when you had to work a white-collar Job to earn a meaningful living. With technology, social media, and the internet taking focus in the last 10 years, some previously considered less distinguished occupations which many might even call hobbies are taking center stage. Now a profession such as blogging is yielding financial rewards as well as social recognition. Albeit for a selected few. One of these selected few is Damilare Bakare, Chief Editor & Founder of Specifications Nigeria. The young, talented and extremely humble man is the brain behind the tech blog which is gradually shaping the Nigerian tech sphere, more specifically its mobile phone market.

Specifications Nigeria which is one of the top tech blogs in the country is dedicated to everything technology, with its phone reviews consistently dominating search engines. Beyond great informative content, the blog serves thousands of tech readers each month who constantly log on to read phone reviews and comparisons. If you’ve ever had to research a phone online, chances are that you may have ended up on specifications Nigeria.

We got to sit down with Damilare Bakare, Chief Editor & Founder of specifications Nigeria, as well as other subsidiary media outlets and he shared his inspirations and motivations.

My name is Bakare Oluwadamilare Damola, I studied Estate Management from Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State. I am a person who is in love with creativity and learning different skills. I am a blogger, a content creator, SEO consultant, Web Designer and an Estate surveyor.

While explaining his journey into blogging and his inspirations, he opened up on how he initially bought into the get-rich-quick scheme which is often associated with blogging, before learning that there was more to it.

Well, I was introduced to blogging by a friend of mine who told me he has found a way to make money online (True Story). That was back in year 2010, I jumped at it not knowing what blogging is all about, after a while of chasing money which did not come through at that time; I fell in love with blogging as I did more research and gain knowledge from online guides and tutorials about blogging.

Knowing that I'm a shy person, I have always wanted my voice to be heard concerning certain issues and blogging made that possible for me. I will write an article about a particular topic or product and people will actually read it and comment on the same article sharing their opinions on the topic. The interaction made me more committed to blogging

A lot of people think blogging is easy and it is a get rich scheme but it is not as easy as you think. Blogging is so heavy it can change your lifestyle and it is not a get rich scheme. You can make money but surely it not easy to make the money.

In modern times bloggers cover a wide range of subject matter from politics to sports (or even the odd sports politics). Hence we were curious on why exactly he chose to write about tech.

SpecificationsNigeria is a blog focused mainly on products and electronic appliances in Nigeria. Stating their specifications, reviews and so. This helps a buyer have a detailed understanding of the product they want to buy. I created SpecificationsNigeria.com in order for Nigerians to have a good idea of what they are about to buy or acquire, therefore giving them detailed informed specifications, reviews, prices and also suggestions about such product or electronic device. The blog will make you understand what you are going and also if it is going to be effective for the job you need it for.

With over 7 years experience in blogging, we couldn’t help but ask the most important things he has learnt on the job.

I have learnt three important things in blogging which are Patience, Continuous Learning. Consistency
These three things are important and necessary if you want to be successful in blogging.

He further explained on his difficulty of trying to combine everyday life while trying to remain a top blogger. When we joked about what he does when he isn’t blogging, he had this to say:

Blogging takes almost all of my time but I enjoy Coding, designing, making videos, Photography (Still learning though) and love Playing Video Games. if I was not blogging then I will be only an Estate Surveyor.

With over 6 million Africans gaining access to the internet every year, the pool of potential audience continues to widen for local bloggers. However many still don’t understand the power that this platform provides.

Blogging makes your voice to be heard by hundreds to thousands and to millions. You don’t need to be a celebrity or politician to blog or make your voice heard, create a blog and share your views and be heard.


Whether we admit it or not, bloggers shape the way we consume information. With the country going through tough times, bloggers may have to take on a bigger responsibility in controlling the narrative

While my niche is more descriptive rather than narrative, i do realize the role we play in affecting people’s opinions. In that regard, my biggest wish in life is that Nigeria should become a safe and all-around better place. I believe in the country, it’s one of the reasons i do what I do.

Most people often consider Linda Ikeji as the pioneer of blogging in Nigeria while others argue that her influence is overstated, Damilare who has had the opportunity to work with other media moguls had a rather interesting take on the subject.

Blogging made me meet a lot of people who are simply amazing. If I mention names it will be too long. We all have different opinions on Linda Ikeji, however, i do believe she was a pioneer of the blogging in Nigeria but times have changed since she initially launched LDB.

Information is being consumed faster so much differently than it was years ago. Now with bloggers shaping the descriptive and narrative twist, it is becoming imperative to understand and appreciate the influence of these bloggers as well as recognising how times have changed. More people visit blogs each day than regular news vendors. In a lot of ways, our conventional newspapers have been traded for blogs. While we can argue that this is borne out of the youthful culture to read a story in gossip/informal format rather than the conventional formal way, what cannot be argued is that the culture is here to stay.

With bloggers going as far as being able to influence buyer opinions, the influence of these young people is at an all time high. We can only wait to see how this new status quo evolves.

http://dala.xyz/2017/08/ceo-specifications-nigeria-talks-major-influences-latest-interview.html

for more of these articles, visit www.dala.xyz

So this is not your average, regular Joe season preview, nah. Those things are a dime a dozen, here we take it to another level.

Warning: This is not for “serious” people, it’s about to get very silly.

How do you do a season preview that’s absolutely lit, fun and different from the gazillion others? Simple, add a bit of theatre magic : )

Ever wondered which Avengers character your team would be? Probably not. Here we go.

Every new season begins with a thousand hopes and expectations, there are twenty teams that dream of winning the league, seven that will fancy their chances more than the rest, but you and I know there are only four (yes, four) real contenders. So here we’ll take a look at the seven, their transfer business, where they’ll finish and of course, choose the Avengers character they most resemble.

let the fun begin:

Manchester City

After six matches last season, Manchester City were top of the log with 6 wins from 6 and 18 goals scored. Pep magic. The Spaniard, brought in to lead City to European dominance like his Barcelona team had begun on a soaring note. The came the Spurs.

City traveled to White Hart Lane on October 2, four points clear of the chasing pack. A punishing 90 minutes later, Pep was truly “welcomed” to the Premier League. It finished two nil, it might have been more. City remained top but the lead had been decimated, they would only win one of the next four yielding the top spot to Liverpool at the end of Matchday 11.

Somehow the problems were attributed to defensive frailties, perhaps helped by Pep’s suggestion that his full-backs (Kolarov, Zabaleta and Sagna) all belonged in a museum.This of course is not borne out of facts, only three teams (United, Spurs and Chelsea) conceded fewer goals. And in terms of goals scored only two scored more than the 80 Pep’s side notched. Which suggests that the problem lies elsewhere, but never mind that, City have thrown a shit load of money at the problem.

Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, and Danilo have replaced the aforementioned trio with City breaking the record fee for a defender twice. Bernardo Silva and Ederson Moraes are the other new buys. So now that the problem is solved they’ll surely finish first, right?

Final League Position: 2nd. Sorry. City have spent close to half a billion pounds since Pep arrived but I think the problem is that Pep is yet to come to terms with just how stubborn PL teams can be. Can fully integrate all these new signings while dealing with champions league expectations, I don’t think so.

Avengers Character: Iron Man. Obviously.


Arsenal

Arsenal are always difficult to get a fix on. I have been predicting that they would fall out of the top six for the last couple of seasons and they always managed to confound me. However, last season they did. For the first time in two decades.

How did Wenger respond? In typical fashion. He put his head down and went about business in his usual way. Two new signings will be on show at the Emirates, record signing Alexandre Lacazette cost 52m from Lyon while Sead Kolasinac cost nothing. I told you, typical.

This season not only will Wenger have to deal with Europa league football, there’s the added pressure of two of his key players (Ozil and Sanchez) being into the final year of their contracts and of course, the now annual #WengerOut protests that will start sometime in November. I think it will be too much.

Final Position: 5th. And no, they will not win the Europa League.

Avengers Character: Captain America. All that wholesome goodness, reliability, etc

Manchester United

Goals. If you had to choose only one thing that overshadowed the good work Jose Mourinho did at Old Trafford last season you’d probably choose goals. United scored a paltry 54 of them last season. Put this in context with the rest of the teams wee’ll be looking at they were last for goals scored. Tottenham scored 32 more!

The answer to this problem for Mourinho was to shell out £75m for Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian will replace United’s top goal scorer from last season Zlatan Ibrahimovic. With 85 goals to his name over the past five seasons there are few more potent marksmen (only Aguero over that time period) in the league and frighteningly, at just 24 years old, there’s still room for improvement.

Mourinho will be pleased with the business done so far in the market, although he got three of his intended four targets, United look a tough proposition with strength in depth for all four competitions.

Final League Position: 1st. This one was not difficult to call really, Mourinho’s second season syndrome is famed and legendary.

Avengers Character: THOR. Yes United is the Asgardian god of thunder.


Tottenham Hotspurs

If there is anyone that characterizes just what Spurs have become over the last two seasons then it is their Captain, Harry Kane. Just four seasons ago, Kane was on loan at Norwich City and finished at Leicester scoring just two goals across 16 appearances. Fast forward three seasons, the 24-year-old has been named in the PFA Team of The Year in all three seasons, he was won the Golden Boot in the last two. Trophy Cabinet? Empty.

Spurs have punched above their weight in the last two seasons finishing 3rd and then 2nd. They needed to buck the trend, they are fast becoming the league’s “almost men”. The normal way to do that would have been to splash out in the transfer window, add some star dust to what was without doubt the best team in the League last season. But Daniel Levy is not normal. Spurs are yet to add a single player to their squad.

How will they get on? Well, I think Levy will eventually unclench his fists before the window closes, but I doubt it will open too much. As it is, Spurs have been cut off at the knee by their Chairman, but what Pochettino should concentrate on is getting some Silverware into that trophy cabinet. The FA Cup, hell even the EFL Cup are all within their grasp. Grab it, Poch!

Final League Position: 3rd. It could have been higher, if only.

Avengers Character: Hawkeye. Part of the team, deadly, but lacking that extra intangible that makes Cap and the rest

Chelsea

Antonio Conte won the battle of the new managers last season, he won it by a country mile. Spending less than Mourinho and Guardiola, the Italian recovered from a poor start, to win the league in style. Chelsea broke the record for most wins (30) in a single Premier League season, equalled the record for the most consecutive wins (13) and set a new record for copycat managers (16), lol.

His 3-4-3 formation revolutionized tactical approaches in England, by the end of the season, 17 of the twenty teams in the top flight had tried a 3-man defence at some point.

Now a new season begins, with European exertions this time around, how will he fare? Well we suspect he might have a more difficult season. In the market they have gotten upgrades in three positions, Morata for Costa, Bakayoko for Matic and Rudiger for Terry as well as a back-up goalie in Caballero. But in allowing those upgrades o be replacements rather than additions they failed horribly.

With Costa set to join the other two in leaving Stamford Bridge, Chelsea find themselves understaffed ahead of a gruelling campaign. If they do not get at least two new signings across the line before the window shuts, it could be de ja vu again.

Final League Position: 4th. And just barely. With Hazard out for the start of the season, Bakayoko injured and Morata yet to bed in, Chelsea are in for a bumpy ride.

Avengers Character: Black Widow. There’s that Russian connect, plus she’s probably the most ruthless of them all

http://dala.xyz/2017/08/20172018-epl-season-preview.html

For more of this kind of articles visit www.dala.xyz

Phew! It was a close thing. With the world walking on a tight rope and relationships between several nations deteriorating daily, the last thing we needed was for France and Qatar to come to blows with Spain over a footballer (Let us take a moment to thank God it was not the US involved, Trump would have redirected several dozen aircraft carriers to the Spanish coast long ago, Covfefe 2.0)

The transfer could yet have some consequences, Barcelona’s statement confirming the receipt of the fee for Neymar was the equivalent of a primary school girl squealing “I’ll tell aunty for you”.

But let’s leave that and consider the fee for a minute. £198m, or €222m, or $264m, or a number in Naira that has too many zeros for me to ponder right now, you get the drift.

Wondering what exactly this eye-watering fee can do in Nigeria? Here’s a couple of totally over the top things;

1. Pay for 8,000 university degrees at Nigeria’s most expensive University

The most expensive course at Babcock University costs N3m, with Neymar’s fee you could offer a one-year scholarship to 32,000 students a year. Or put this way, you could pay for 8,000 undergraduate degrees.
Davido graduated from Babcock in 2015. The Neymar fee could have paid school fees for him and everyone in his class, from 100l to graduation. In fact everyone in his school.

2. Buy 165 BMWs for Stella Oduah

A couple of years ago a scandal broke out over the then Minister of Aviation purchasing two bullet-proof BMW cars for around $1.6m. She eventually lost her job over it. With the Neymar money, she could have bought one hundred and sixty-five of those babies
Riding in Style. The Neymar money can buy twenty of these tanks for Oduah. This one will stop any type of bullet, even witchcraft arrow sef


3. Keep Nigeria’s Air Force One in a London hangar For 198,000 nights

Another scandal that broke —this one a bit more recent—is the cost of parking the presidential jet in London to Nigerian taxpayers.
Nigerians were whipped into a frenzy by the alleged £4,000-a-day fee but Aso Rock quickly clarified issues apparently it’s costing just £1,000. The Neymar fee would pay parking for Air Force One for 54 years and still have small change.

4. Pay 5.3 million Civil Servants

Labour has been complaining about Nigeria’s appalling minimum wage for a while now. Nigerians in government employ are amongst to worst paid in Africa. They propose a raise from the measly N18,000 a month to N56,000.To put it in the Neymar context, if you use $264m to pay minimum wage, you could pay 5.3 million Civil Servants. You could afford to employ over 440,000 Nigerians for a year.

5 months? No Problem!

According to the Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Joe Abah there are 89, 511 civil servants are in the Federal Government’s employ. So you could pay their wages for five years. Shocking!

5. Buy a share of Nigeria’s sovereign wealth

In another unrelated scandal, it was revealed earlier this year that Shell paid $1.1 billion for one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocks, OPL 245.
Again in the Neymar context, you could have bought a twenty-five percent stake in one of the richest oil fields in Nigeria.
Bear in mind that Nigeria is the world’s eighth largest producer of oil, just think about it.
A few other things; 5 million bags of rice, 400,000 Samsung Galaxy S8 phones, 1,820 of the World’s most expensive weave-on (as sported by Beyonce for her ‘Mrs Carter’ world tour) for the girls, 71 of the most expensive car in the world (McLaren P1 LM) for both girls and guys, 52 plots of land on Banana Island, etc.


According to MediaTakeout, this weave Beyonce sported during her Mrs. Carter World Tour cost $145K.
You get the drift, its mad money and no one saw it coming.

http://dala.xyz/2017/08/five-things-buy-neymar-198m-fee-nigeria.html/2


For more original sports articles like this, visit www.dala.xyz

Experts are against hard-core exercises when menstruating but that doesn’t mean you should sit on your couch for the remaining days. If you have major cramps listen to your body and take the day off. There are simple exercises one can engage in without the risks of injuries or foregoing your fitness routine.

1. Walking

This is simple and not stressful. It may not be a heavy calorie burner but it definitely leaves you refreshed.

2. Running

If you feel strong enough then you can go for a jog. We release endorphins during a cardiovascular workout which can help beat the period ickies. However ensure you hydrate before, after and during your run. Water is your best friend.

3. Dancing

Even though dancing isn’t exercise in a traditional sense. It does rev the heart rate and can burn off calories. Dancing is a great option as it doesn’t feel like exercise but gives you that extra boost of energy.

4. Planking

When it’s that time of the month, all you want to do is stay home and watch Lifetim

When it’s that time of the month, all you want to do is stay home and watch movies. Make the most of your TV time by holding a plank position during the commercials:

Get down on the floor.
Put your arms and elbows under your chest.
Raise your body using just your forearms and toes, and hold.
This is an intense all-over workout. Start by holding your plank during every other commercial and work up to holding through an entire commercial break.

5. Aerobics

Aerobic exercise is the perfect way to let loose. Aerobics are typically low-pressure and require basically focus to make it fun.

Don’t use your period as an excuse to forget your fitness routine — but do listen to your body if you need a break from it. Give some of the above workouts a try.



http://dala.xyz/2017/01/exercises-to-do-when-on-your-period.html

The management of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution company flagged off their massive metering program today at Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt. The flag off marks the beginning of a metering plan for 5000 meters in the Rumuomasi community.

The metering program was commissioned at the Eze Oropotoma palace, Rumuomasi by His royal highness, Eze Nyema Onunwor accompanied by a number of delegates of Rumuomasi.

Showing the company’s commitment to metering the community, PHED was fully represented at the event. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Jean Pierre Breton was present, accompanied by the Project Manager, the metering coordinator and the Community engagement manager.


Mr John Onyi, PHED’s spokesperson, introduced the program appreciating the king his presence. The CFO also spoke asking the King for the cooperation and understanding of the people of Rumumasi while the metering process is running. He invited the people to always reach out to PHED if they have any problem with their bills at any time.

“When we’re asking you to help us to fight against theft, it is because, when the generation company’s are providing us energy, we have to pay for that energy.”

“We are not considering our customers as just customers but as partners.” he added.
When asked how many meters PHED plans to install in Rumumasi, the Jean Pierre said that PHED plans to install 5000 meters.

“We have a massive plan for 5000 meters but the plan of PHED before the year runs out is to install 150,000”Phed flag off massive metering program rumuomasi

After the demonstration of the first meter installation in Rumumasi, His excellency Eze Nyema took time to personally appreciate the management of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company for their partnership with the community.

“I want to commend the management of PHED for this initiative.”

“This means that they have gotten a buy in on a social licence to operate here. So we are partners now, essentially for this project. We need power and they also need payment for their business, so it is a mutually beneficial relationship.”
PHED Flag off Massive Metering Program In Rumuomasi

The head of the Safety department, Gabriel Egede was also in attendance to educate the people on electricity safety tips. He mentioned a number of tips including, Earthing of homes, living under high tension wires and what to do in the event that a high tension wire falls of one’s vehicle.

Uyime Apkabio, representing the Head of PHED’s Energy Efficiency unit, Mr Franklin Agegbo spoke about the importance and effect of energy efficiency. He sensitized the audience on how to choose energy efficient appliances, showing them the different types of bulbs and their effects on electricity bills.

http://sparkonline.com.ng/2017/08/phed-flags-off-massive-metering-program-in-rumuomasi.html

Away from the hustle and away from life’s worries. We tend to ease stress by entertaining ourselves. When you are deeply amused by Tonto Dike’s marriage theatrics, you may forget that the person sitting beside you has body odour. Movies and series are one guilty pleasure for those who indulge. They spend late nights or weekends to ensure they catch up with their beloved shows.

So just because we love TV and movies too and we enjoy trolling the people that share this our guilty pleasure, let's kuku run through the top 5 TV series that we Nigerians love to overhype. Starting for the king of them:

1. Game of Thrones

We know anything other than profound praise is taken as sacrilege when it comes to Game of Thrones. So before you come for my head, hear me out first.

Game of thrones recently dominated the screens and social media. Nigerians are downloading pirated copies and sharing with their friends. Everyone is talking about winter. Winter is coming they say. First of all, the rave was about the Lannisters, then Jon snow and now Arya Stark or is it Tyrion the dwarf. Ah, let us not forget about Daenerys mother of dragons. After crying about the loss of one character, we always find a way to latch onto another. It is not surprising therefore that for the past two weeks, almost everyone is talking about the 7th season of GOT. Banners, graphics, and even memes are trolling the internet. It got so bad that even haters took to twitter to boast on how they had not watched a single episode. But abeg who that one epp? What is it about GOT that is making people stay so faithful?



2. How To Get Away With Murder

People who did not know about the wonder of Viola Davis got to know about her in HTGWM. She embraced the character Annalise keating so well that it got her an EMMY award. We do not know why Nigerians love this series. But we suspect it is because we are fascinated with getting away with crime legally. Annalise is smart and the way she works with her ambitious students makes the thrill top notch. The suspense here is over the bar and is definitely not for the faint heart. If you are in trouble with the law, you know who to call.


3. Suits

This is another series revolving around law and its legalities. Harvey Specter is a brilliant lawyer and when in need of an associate he hires Mike Ross. Mike, however, is a college dropout but this doesn’t deter him from being smart and witty. We follow them both as they turn from friends to allies and sometimes dangle on a thin thread of betrayal. The series is not only entertaining but also educative. If you are a fan of suits please let us know. What is fascinating about white dudes wearing suits and plotting how to outwit each other?


4. Scandal

Olivia Pope thrives on scandals. From being the President’s media consultant to having her own crisis management firm. She seems to know how to clean up other peoples lives except hers. Her clients have histories and secrets that must be taken care of and so does she and her staff. Again, we can see that Nigerian want to know how to get away with anything. It is a pity that we may not be able to have our own Olivia Pope unless your baba in the village is strong.


5. Power

This series shows that it is only a ghost that can run the underground business and be good at it. It is, however, a pity that Nigerian ghosts are only good at finding their soul mate or looking sideways to cross the road. James St. Patrick the Ghost has a successful nightclub but what you may not know is that he also runs another operation: a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential. You see Nigerians we too like bad things. We may have had our own ghost in Evans but we are happy that his identity has been revealed.


Nigerians like a good story, we like power and danger. We love the thrills that come with being smart and witty. And yes we overhype what we love. Well, I am in my house watching “Nkoli Nwa Nsukka”, you cannot get to me.

http://dala.xyz/2017/07/5-overhyped-series-by-nigerians.html

for more of this kind of articles, www.dala.xyz

Wow

Abuja now has traffic?

So I've been hearing a lot about this app called MAXGo and i thought i'd give it a shot. The app which is similar to Uber, Taxify and Oga taxi but For PowerBikes, allows you request a power bike to come pick you up and drop you off at your location. Unlike Uber though, the riders are trained and certified by MAXGo. I was initially skeptical about it, but after i was stuck in traffic around law school in V.I, i just thought i should give it a try.

Besides you get some money in your app wallet when you download the app, so your first ride is practically free.

I was pleasantly surprised at how effective the app was and the ride was actually cheaper than Okada, plus it's a Powerbike and i also got a helmet which is something i have always wanted with Bikes.

I got to work in Lekki in less than 15 minutes (thank GOD cos i may just have been fired if not) and the rider was very nice and pleasant. All in all, i was impressed.

Now where it gets interesting is these guys have a very mouth-watering referral system and if you get a couple of people to download and use your referral codes, your rides will be practically free. This is asides the 100 Naira they give to everyone on sign up.

I think it's a cool app with some really cool incentives -> www.max.ng/go

The game might just be changing for UBER and Taxify as they now have some interesting competition.

www.max.ng/go

Six Months have passed in 2017 and we’ve decided to take a critical look at the power sector. There’s been a whole lot of activities in the Nigerian power sector and a year that seemingly began with so much promise has slowly fallen into the usual trappings we all know too well. However, it isn’t all gloom and we’ll be looking at both the Negatives and also the few bright spots that occurred in the Nigerian power sector & Energy industry from January 2017 to June 2017.

POLICIES

First off, January 1st kicked off with Sparkonline.com.ng exclusively breaking the news on the electricity tariff hike across the Nation. DisCos had apparently refused to make an official announcement over the issue at the time, due to concerns of NERC’s disapproval. Regardless of a lot of cries and displeasures from electricity consumers, the tariff hike took immediate effect and even though the hike in tariff was not particularly large for DisCos such as EKO and IKEJA, the same could not be said about PHED customers. This, however, was not the fault of the DisCos. A tariff change had to occur as the MYTO scheme which governed the tariff system was failing and most DisCos had to review their operating costs in light of changing market prices in Gas as well as other acquired costs. Arguably, the biggest policy change over the last six months is the new policy allowing a sect of customers to buy power directly from the GENCOS. This caused widespread panic across the power sector and various DisCos have ben forced to review their business models because of this decision. While it is still a bit unclear how this would play out, it is certainly interesting to see how DisCos react to this policy.

Lawmakers have also finally reviewed the laws governing gas flaring. Gas flaring has been one of the mundane activities which have constantly held back the power sector and now lawmakers are finally seeing why a law allowing flaring gas to be cheaper that harnessing, makes little sense. As regard policies in the last 6 months, NERC also chipped in with one of theirs. One that caused quite a stir and lots of confusion as they instructed customers (Maximum demand customers) not to pay their bills till they were metered. While the intention behind this decree was noble, the execution left little to be desired.

VERDICT:

Overall, it feels like these policies are small steps in the right direction. However, these sort of policies are few and far between and a lot of times these policies are not backed up with the kind of structure or strategy that allow these new policies take effect. Lawmakers need to understand that it isn’t good enough to make a decree, it should be accompanied with an actual framework that allows these new laws to exist effectively. Invariably, the fate of the Nigerian power sector will be determined by those making the policies governing it.


INNOVATIONS:

At the tail end of the first quarter of the year, we had a massive game changer in the Nigerian power scene as MTN and Lumos launched its Mobile electricity service. The service which is still in its early days certainly has the potential to deliver sustainable & reliable energy for small scale businesses and homes across rural areas in the country. We also got to see Unilorin students invent a device to detect electricity theft and got to interview the inventor of the Hydroelectric generator. Even Nigerians abroad appears to be breaking boundaries with Jessica Mathews earning lots of acclaim in the United States for her SOCCKET ball invention.

Also, during the first quarter of the year, the minister of power, as well as the Federal Government, endorsed various renewable energy projects in the Northern part of the country, many of which are yet still in the development phase. With countries like Egypt and South Africa leaps and bounds ahead of Nigeria in renewable energy infrastructure, 2017 seemed like the year Nigeria would finally harness its renewable energy potential.


VERDICT:

In all fairness it hasn’t been a remarkable year as regards innovations in the Nigerian power sector, with countries such as China Launching Solar farms over water and Elon Musk using his power pack system to power kauai Islands, we can only watch with envious eyes. The early foundations are however being laid and it’s only a matter of time before something truly groundbreaking is invented in the Nigerian energy scene. We will be keeping a keen eye on the MTN & Lumos’ Y’ello Box though. With the right marketing and infrastructure, the Y’ello Box might just be the perfect alternative to power we’ve been looking for.


DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES

While most DisCos continued to improve their services, Ikeja electric was arguably the most pro-active of all DisCos. IE continues to leverage off it’s tech infrastructure to push further its value proposition. This year we even saw the utility company launch an online payment platform for electricity services asides bill payment. Now users under iE can pay reconnection fees from the comfort of their homes. The very controversial issue of vandalism in Igando was a rather inconsequential issue in what has largely been a good year so far for IKEDC.

The same cannot be said of BEDC, the DisCo got into serious hot water early in the year after Spark covered an exclusive expose of Ibusa community in Delta state. The community which had experienced 7-year power outage made headlines as BEDC service delivery was called into question. This was just one of the communities which have since come out to decry BEDC services, with Ondo South local government the most recent community petitioning the utility company. From a PR standpoint it has been a year to forget for BEDC.

EEDC didn’t fair much better as news of electrocuted staff were sandwiched between recurring stories of protest by both workers and electricity consumers in Enugu.

Kaduna electric continued to push boundaries and is still considered the most impressive DisCo when it comes to community service, as the company just recently gave out classroom furniture to schools in Kaduna. This sort of philanthropy has promoted a rather cordial relationship between Kaduna Electric and its customers and Kaduna electric is still often considered the most Likeable of all DisCos In Nigeria.

Eko DisCo which largely operates in the Urban areas of Lagos have impressed market operators with their collections but not necessarily their services as power supply in its franchise areas is still somewhat surprisingly inconsistent. Power supply doesn’t solely rest on the DisCos though and Eko has proven time and time again that it’s willing to improve its services and make bold claims to its customers, something that has endeared them to some of the customers. Eko DisCo also ranks number one when it comes to metering.

IBEDC has had a rather quiet year and only made headlines when they posted a hilarious picture on Facebook of what their customers do to avoid paying bills. IBEDC spokesman also chipped in on the debacle of TCN’s incapacity, pointing accusatory fingers at the transmission company’s poor network. IBEDC weren’t the only ones pointing fingers at TCN, more on that later.

PHED had a rather average 6 months as power supply slowly improved in its service areas. The company also hosted a lot of engagements which were aimed at educating its consumers on their rights as consumers and the power sector value chain. The company is still notoriously known for overbilling customers and PHED tariff don’t help as R2 customers are forced to pay 32 naira per KWh which is more than most DisCos. This has been a constant complaint of PHED customers and PHED often seeks to clear the air (much to no avail) on its ever present social media channels. It is noteworthy that PHED is the most active Distribution company on Facebook. Inside sources suggest that the company is set to roll out thousands of meters in the coming weeks, if this is true, we can hope that PHED might be able to finally free its customers from overestimated billing.

KEDCO continues to impress us with its sleek and stylish website but nothing else, while AEDC and Dino Maleye made the News for the wrong reasons as the Minister joined the list of people who have accused AEDC of overestimated billing.

Other Discos such as YEDC, JEDC had a rather quiet 6 months and that is not exactly a good thing.

VERDICT:

Distribution companies are in the business of making a profit and if recent reports are to be believed, that has been really difficult for DisCos. it’s been tough for most DisCos and most have simply struggled to remain afloat. As far as service delivery, the DisCos Still have a long way to go before they can truly shake off the NEPA tag. However, with DisCos such as Eko Disco, Kaduna Electric and particularly Ikeja Electric, we believe these DisCos are certainly on the right track, with other DisCos such as PHED, IBEDC and KEDCO not far behind. Communication has largely improved between DisCos and its customers but clearly, more work still needs to be done.

POWER SUPPLY:

It is difficult to talk about power supply as the supply of power and access to electricity is often relative to location, hence there is no universal assessment of Nigeria’s power supply that can be 100% accurate. However, we know that we witnessed several national grid failures which crippled power supply for the most parts of January and February. The unfortunate event of fire outbreak at Afam IV power station and Jebba also contributed to the poor power supply during this period. Recurrent and sometimes incessant grid failures have occurred intermittently since, and power generation has barely reached 5,000 MW since the turn of the year. TCN has often been blamed by several people in the power sector for the poor power supply. While it’s still somewhat unclear why power supply is so haphazard in the country, it is safe to assume that our power generation output is greatly beneath the expected demand.

VERDICT:

Improved power supply still feels like an afterthought for most stakeholders in the power sector and the conversations surrounding the power sector are often themed around metering (or the lack of it) collections and big money loans. 6 months into 2017 and Nigeria isn’t any closer to achieving any its power goals. At this rate, we have to start to consider that just maybe the privatization of the power sector might have been a mistake after all.

Source: http://sparkonline.com.ng/2017/06/sparks-6-month-review-power-sector-1st-half-2017.html

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