Headline

Apprentice Weeps, Says Master Loaned Him Tricycle After 15 Years Labour

Published

3 years ago

March 2, 2022

Editor

An apprentice, Sunday Ndenta, has expressed dissatisfaction with the settlement he got from his master after serving him for over 14 years.

Ndenta spoke to our correspondent on the sideline of a youth forum, tagged, ‘Igba Boi Apprenticeship Scheme,’ in Awka, Anambra State.

The scheme is seeking the revival of the apprenticeship system in the South-East.

Ndenta, a 35-year-old indigene of Igbo-Ukwu in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, said he was given a tricycle after his apprenticeship with his master who operated pharmaceutical stores at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market.

He noted that his master gave him the tricycle under a lease agreement, an arrangement he described as “strange and awkward.”

Ndenta said, “My master took me from my parents for an apprenticeship at the age of 18 after I couldn’t continue my education. I first stayed with his mother in his home town at Umunze, looking after the sick woman until she passed on after four years of my stay there.

“My master then brought me to his shop at Onitsha where he sells pharmaceutical drugs, to continue my apprenticeship training and I served him for another 11 years without any blemish.

“But to my greatest surprise, the period I was to be settled, he called some of my family members and presented a tricycle to me as my settlement package.

“The real issue is that he went on to say that the keke would be operated under a hire purchase agreement; that I would be giving him daily returns and the keke would become my own after I completed the money he used in buying it.

“This will be the third phase of my apprenticeship with him after I had put in over 15 years, first serving his mother, then at the shop and now this one.

“I have been riding keke for over three months now and remitting returns to my boss. This kind of treatment is the reason today’s youths have stopped going into apprenticeship under anyone. Rather, they prefer to be riding keke or motorcycle.”

Ndenta, who spoke amid tears, did not disclose how much returns he makes to his boss on a daily basis and how much he had remitted so far and when he would balance the payment.

The spokesperson for the Onitsha Bridge Head Market, identified simply as Tochukwu, said the market leadership was “investigating and treating” many complaints relating to such ill-treatment.

“Some months ago, youths protested at the Electrical Market in Oba over a similar issue. This is becoming too rampant; something has to be done. Apprentices and masters will have to be signing documented agreements to avoid this kind of situation,” he added.

PUNCH.

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”