E-Commerce: How much longer can Jumia hold out in Nigeria? - ITREALMS

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The recent announcement of Jumia Food’s exit from Nigeria, its biggest market, has set alarm bells ringing among industry watchers. Dr. Fred Bongani, a former employee and founding staff, examines the fallouts from this latest misadventure.

E-Commerce, despite its potential as a goldmine, remains one of the most challenging business sectors in Nigeria and indeed, the African continent.

Kwarans no longer panhandlers - Lai Mohammed - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called for unity, sacrifice and commitment from all stakeholders in order to put Kwara State on the path of good governance and also win the state for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections, reports ITRealms.

The Minister, who made the call at a stakeholders' meeting organized by the Congress of Kwara Progressives in Ilorin on Thursday, said the time is ripe for the people of Kwara to take back their state from plunderers.

''What an auspicious time for all of us! Never before have we had a great opportunity like we have now to take our state back from the rapacious few, who have held the state by the jugular and prevented it from meeting the hopes and aspirations of its people.

''From my consultations with key stakeholders so far, I can say, categorically, that Kwarans have all resolved to take their destiny into their own hands and take back what rightly belongs to them. This is unprecedented in the history of our state, and we must not waste this opportunity,'' he charged

Alhaji Mohammed stressed the need for unity on the part of the people, saying ''if we all remain united, we can't and we won't lose the looming battle for the survival of our dear state. All that is required is for us all to subordinate our individual ambitions to the collective efforts to wrest our state from the hegemony of one man and his cohorts''.

He said that, on his part, he won't be running for any office during the forthcoming elections, adding: ''For me, it is not about any clamour for office. It is about working with all like minds for the greater benefit of our people.''

The Minister warned that the battle ahead would not be easy, and that those who are opposed to change in the state will deploy all strategies, including blackmail, to retain their stranglehold on power

''Make no mistake about it, the battle ahead will be tough. No one with power will ever give it up easily. But the power of the people supersedes all powers. That's why I am delighted, and indeed encouraged, that the good people of our state, whether from the North, South or Central, are all united in their singular determination to rescue their state from the grinding poverty, monumental misgovernance and the general state of funk that has enveloped it,'' he said.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Laptop battery to last longer: The 5 ways

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We have all been in that position where our laptop battery starts to malfunction; that moment when a 10-hour battery life device depreciates to serving you for one hour or less. Insight from the Research and Development Unit of Yudala, Nigeria’s fastest growing composite e-commerce outfit, shows that while laptop batteries often depreciate with constant use over time, misuse or wrong usage often leads to this happening within a short period of time and at a time when you should still be deriving optimum utility from your laptop battery.

Laptop batteries are usually made from lithium-ion: a lightweight, high-power battery often used in computers and mobile phones. Lithium-ion batteries come in various shapes, although a flat rectangle is most common in smartphones. It is lighter than the nickel cadmium battery and the nickel metal-hydride battery, thus accounting for its lightweight nature. Lithium-ion batteries work by the movement of lithium ions through a membrane and are clearly different from lithium batteries.

Whereas lithium batteries contain lithium metal and are not rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries do not contain lithium metal and are rechargeable.

However, lithium-ion batteries do not last forever. Each lithium-ion battery will have an average of 600 charge cycles and will work optimally for about 4-5 years without a drastic depreciation on battery life. Hence, your laptop battery should serve you well for at least 3-4 years depending on how frequently you use the device and recharge the battery.

Research shows that frequent travelers only get a couple of years out of their laptop battery because they tend to charge intermittently and keep their laptop unplugged when on the move which kills the laptop battery faster.  

To help you get maximum life out of your laptop battery, the following tips from Yudala will go a long way in helping you save the cost of investing in a new battery at short intervals:

1.Avoid putting your laptop on soft surfaces: It is easy to place your laptop on your thighs or bed while working at home or during your rest time. Many of us are guilty of this. However, if you need your battery to last long or have a stronger life span, it is advisable to place the device on hard surfaces such as tables or desks in order to avoid over-heating. Research has shown that heat is one of the biggest obstacles to your battery’s longevity because your laptop fan can’t circulate air properly when your laptop is placed on a soft surface.

2.Be careful how you store your laptop battery: This cannot be over-emphasized. It is advisable to store your laptop in a cool place with less heat. This tip is directed especially at people who keep their laptops in their cars where it can get really hot when it’s sunny. Laptop batteries do not work well with heat and might stop working if exposed to excessive humidity. Research shows that, if a stored battery is not charged, it starts to lose it energy and might get damaged. Also, for travelers who leave their laptops behind, it is advisable to store your battery with a 40 - 60% charge instead of a full charge. Study shows that fully charged batteries depreciate faster than half-charged batteries.

3.Do not leave your laptop dead before plugging it in: There is said to be a problem called ‘battery memory’ which, cause batteries to ‘forget’ their full charge capacity and start charging at lower levels; charging to 100% and discharging to 0%. Current research indicates that this problem doesn’t exist anymore and we have the modern lithium-ion battery to thank for that. It is important to point out that the problem here is not over-charging your laptop, which makes us believe that letting your battery charge more than 100 percent will make the battery wear out faster. A research study by Battery University shows that, modern devices are designed to stop charging at 100 per cent hence, keeping them plugged in doesn’t impact the battery’s lifespan. However, a lot of us wait until our laptop dies before we plug it in, which isn’t good for our battery. You should avoid letting your battery drain and discharge below 20 per cent, else, it would reduce the charging capacity of your battery.

4.Show your laptop some love: This starts with your battery. Your battery is the powerhouse of your laptop. Abandoning your laptop battery and just letting it do its job without paying much attention to it won’t cut it. Make sure to take care of the battery contact points; the battery contact connects the battery to the laptop. If the contact point gets dirty or damaged, it may reduce or disrupt the flow of power to the laptop.  If you have a removable battery, you can carefully wipe your battery with a soft cloth to get rid of dust. However, you have nothing to worry about if your laptop battery is sealed.

5.Update your laptop: As underrated as this may sound, an outdated hardware may reduce the performance of your laptop thereby affecting the laptop battery. The cells in laptop batteries degrade over time, and it is totally normal for old laptop batteries to hold charge less than an hour. Current laptops can achieve up to 10 hours of standard usage because of the software that comes with the perk of a new laptop. Henceforth, upgrading your laptop hardware will significantly improve your laptop battery life.

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