Igbo apprenticeship scheme: How lofty entrepreneurship system undermines school enrolments

The age-long Igbo apprenticeship scheme has had its ups and downs. Without a doubt, one of the demerits includes its ability to make school dropouts of male students in the South East. They are either forced by their parents to get apprenticed to merchants or are lured into the business world in their search for greener pastures. Due to the vicissitude of fortunes, some survive the tutelage and end up as success stories, while others end up being exploited, defamed or frustrated by their masters. Ultimately, a good number of them end up being uneducated. Its massive capacity to bolster entrepreneurial development notwithstanding, FELICITAS OFFORJAMAH reports that the steadily rising number of male school dropouts in the zone is becoming worrisome, just as the need to rejig the traditional scheme and make it fair and just for all involved.

Ndubuisi Okeke, 15, at the insistence of his parents, abandoned his Junior Secondary School (JSS) education and started serving Chibuike Nwanna, a prominent motorcycle spare parts dealer. After nine years of faithful service, Okeke became distraught and nearly maladjusted with the turn of events in his life.

Accused of theft, a few months to the end of his service years in the traditional Igbo apprenticeship scheme, he was dismissed without any monetary settlement. The now 24-year-old is struggling to find his feet.

“I left school because my family and I thought that it was best for me to learn a trade, alongside learning how to make and manage wealth,” Okeke affirmed. “I hear stories about boi boi being cheated by their masters, but I never knew I would end up being a victim too,” he lamented.

Confessing his innocence, Okeke, who said he never stole a dime from his master, said that he had taken everything in good fate and moved on with life.

“Before I embarked on the scheme, my parents warned me sternly about ever tempering with my master’s money, and I never did. So, you can imagine how heartbroken I and my family were when my master accused me of theft just two months into the end of my apprenticeship.

“Consequently, I wasn’t settled with any money, or stock due to the accusation, and to make matters worse, I didn’t finish my secondary education, so, I lost out on both ends, as I had no capital to start my business.”

On the verge of losing hope, a concerned relative came to the rescue and gave him capital to start his business.

Kelechi Uzodimma, another former apprentice was accused by his boss, a consumer electronic dealer of stealing his money and disrespecting him.

As a consequence, he was not settled according to the contract terms. With no academic qualifications to start a new job, or capital to practice the trade that he learnt, Uzodimma said he got involved in oso ahia.

He explained: “If people want to buy a certain good, I lead them to a shop that has what they want while posing as the owner of the shop, or as part of the business. If the actual cost of the product is N2,500, I can sell it for N4,500 or more if the person can’t bargain well. It was in this way that I was able to get capital to start my electronics business. After five years of settling down in the business, I went back to school and I’m a graduate of Economics, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN). It was God’s grace and determination.”

Millionaire businessman, Sylvanus Nwafor, a native of Nnewi South Local Council of Anambra State, and a dealer in automobile spare parts once served as an apprentice under a prominent businessman simply identified as Nnamdi. For the six years that he learnt the trade, Nwafor resided with his master who made millions of naira yearly. Upon the successful completion of his service, he was rewarded with capital to start his own business.

“This system has made me who I am today and no school can impart such an experience in me within such a short time. I was 13 when I left primary school, but I was brought to Lagos when I was 16 to start learning spare parts business.”

Unlike Okeke and Uzodimma, Nwafor is full of praise for his erstwhile boss, and the Igbo apprenticeship system.

While some disappointed apprentices are crying foul, Mmachi Oriaku, the daughter of a billionaire businessman in Aba, Abia State said that there are occasions where the apprentices actually steal their boss’ money, goods, or even fritter their boss’ wealth on young women.

“My dad is a businessman who passed through the system and became very successful. Now, he trains young boys and mentors them to become wealthy too. Trust me, some apprentices take advantage of the good nature of their bosses and steal from them. We had a case where one of my father’s boys stole as much as N1.5 million, and was planning to add it to his money when settled. Some of them steal occasionally from the shop, but in all these, my dad has been fair and just.”

Oriaku added that sometimes the apprentices themselves accuse the bosses of defaming them even though they know that they are criminals. “However, when they are caught, they lose on both ends, that is not completing their education, and having no capital or stock to start a new trade.”

Understanding Igbo Apprenticeship System
LONG before the Federal Government thought it wise to popularise entrepreneurial education, the Igbo ethnic group of the South East had found their bearing in that regard.

A December 2023 paper titled, ‘Assessment of the Igbo Apprenticeship System In Nigeria,’ by Robert Martins Eze, of the Nasarawa State University, and another by Ohazuruike Kennedy, and Felix Aja Elechi, entitled, ‘The Igbo Apprenticeship System, Governance and Entrepreneurial  Development in South East Nigeria’, the writers shed light on the workings of the system, how it has benefitted southeasterners and how it has enhanced entrepreneurship promotion.

According to them, the Igba-Boi Apprenticeship System, which is sometimes referred to as Igba-Odibo, Imu Ahia, or Imu Oru, is deeply rooted in the culture of the Igbo of  South East and has been a prominent and well-established means of promoting entrepreneurship in the country, significantly contributing to the expansion and advancement of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.

The apprenticeship system is made up of both legal and informal agreements that support the development of an entrepreneurial mindset among the Igbo. It also plays a major role in generating money, and jobs, and reducing poverty, all of which contribute to economic growth and development.

An economic paradigm developed in the South East, its goals were, and still are to finance and invest in human resources through vocational training to promote economic growth, stability, and sustainable livelihood.

Throughout the apprenticeship training period, a variety of abilities are instilled, which includes technical, managerial, and interpersonal skills. Others are forecasting, human resource management, inventory analysis and control, opportunity identification and utilisation, supply chain management, quality assurance, bookkeeping, and accounting are a few of them.

These training programmes are demonstrated by the sales and service solutions offered, which cover all industries and sectors in which Igbo people are involved, including real estate, transportation, manufacturing, construction, import and export trade, mercantile trading, ICT equipment, artisanship, film, and automotive.

Evidence of the successful implementation of the apprenticeship scheme can be found in its raising from scratch, a litany of billionaires, millionaires, and innumerable businessmen. In the process, however, a horde of disappointed youths and illiterates have also been thrown up in the region. In other words, the system’s downside can be gleaned from the low enrollment of males in schools in the geo-political zone.

Concerns over decline of male enrolment in schools
WHEN young males abandon school of their own volition or that of their parents to pursue this apprenticeship for wealth creation, unusual events occur and the boys are left stranded.

One of the cheated males, who barely understood the English language lamented in vernacular: “Anyi  ka ọtụtụ afọ like ịrụsi ọrụ ike gasịr, a na-aghọgbu any” meaning, “After years of hard work, we are being cheated.”

According to a UNESCO estimate from 2022, there are 250 million out-of-school children worldwide, an increase of six million from 2021. Low child enrollment rates in Nigeria are serious problems that provide difficulties for the kids, as well as, the nation at large.

The report also informed that of Nigeria’s approximately 200 million citizens, almost 20 million do not attend school. This is more people than the combined populations of the Gambia, Togo, Liberia, and Gabon and around 20 per cent of Nigeria’s total population. Nigeria is only surpassed by India and Pakistan regarding the number of children that are not in school worldwide.

Nigerian children miss school for a variety of reasons, such as cultural customs, poverty, insecurity, a lack of infrastructure, and insufficient financing for education. UNICEF attributed the rising figure to several issues, including gender inequality, cultural behaviors that promote insecurity, and poverty.

According to Nigeria Education Data Summary 2021, there are 12, 640 pre-primary schools, 13, 203 primary schools, 3,906 junior schools, and 3,912 secondary schools in the South East.

The data also revealed that Abia State enrolled 212,442 pupils in both public and private pre-primary schools with females having the higher number. In Anambra State, 301,476 pupils were enrolled in pre-primary school with males having the larger percentage. The number of children enrolled in Ebonyi State stood at 78,478 with females also having the larger percentage, while 222,516 children were enrolled in Enugu State with females being the largest. Imo State enrolled 364,208 pupils with the number of males being slightly higher.

Primary schools in Abia State saw enrollment of males in school slightly higher than the females with a total of 341,423 students. With 471, 811 students being enrolled, the numbers of males were significantly high in Anambra State. In Enugu State, 473, 318 students were enrolled, but females were significantly higher than males. For Ebonyi State, the number of females in school was higher than the males with a total of 336,172 in school. Imo State also had more females in school than their males with the total number of enrollees being 993, 528.

In Junior Secondary Schools, the number of males dropped across the South East states. As revealed by the data, Abia State had a total of 107, 617 students in school with females having a larger percentage. In Anambra State, the female gender still took the larger percentage with 61,559 girls in school, as against the 56, 341 males recorded.

Ebonyi State had 54,397 females in school and 49,471 males in JSS. For Enugu State, 139,128 students got enrolled with females again being the highest. students numbering 479,228 were also enrolled in the South-East with females dominating in number.

Approaching Senior Secondary School, the number of males dropped more. With a difference of over 7,000, females still have the highest enrollment in the senior class in Abia State. With a difference of over 20, 000, females still lead in numbers in Anambra State. A total of 93,365 enrolled in Ebonyi with males being a lower number in Ebonyi State. A difference of over 10,000, females rock higher in their numbers than males in Enugu and Imo States.

Data as far back as 1988 revealed that the number of males enrolled in school continues to drop significantly every passing year. In a culture where females were not necessarily wanted within the four walls of a school, their numbers have continued to rise above their male counterparts in recent years. Statisticians predicted that the number of males in schools might reduce in years to come because of the need to make money to survive a seemingly dead economy.

According to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), several states do not offer matching grants for the year 2020 to receive intervention funding. Several states, including Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu, did not supply matching amounts to receive their 2018 UBEC grants. Such apathy needs to end.

It is in light of the above that many believe that the dominant reason for the low enrollment of males in schools in the region is the Igba-Boi Apprenticeship System.

Eze goes to school, but no job!
A TEXTILE merchant, Augustine Chiemena, admits that at first, there was relatively little desire to receive a formal education in the Igbo nation, particularly for male children.

“This is primarily due to the Igbo people’s worldview and mentality, which holds that a man’s character and worth are determined by his capacity to assume financial duties. Thus, materialism takes centre stage in determining how young men develop.

“As a result, when raising a male child, the main focus is on helping him to grow and gain financial and material independence as soon as possible, so he may start taking on household obligations. Apart from the proliferation of lowly educated males with deep pockets, the system has lately been plagued by factors including greed and jealousy.”

The case is different for Lawrence Obuzor: “I didn’t go to the four walls of a school but I am better than my counterparts in every way. Education doesn’t only happen in school, it happens when you read books, meet people, and are ready to learn from every circumstance of life. An open mind is ready to learn, but a closed mind cannot learn even if you take it to school. ”

Obuzor said he is not negating the importance of school but self-education is important and should be adopted by the apprentices. “Education is necessary, so also is money. Learning how to read is important, but also learning how to make and invest money is important too. School won’t teach you how to make money, but it could expand your horizons and help you utilise opportunities. So, it goes hand-in-hand.”

In this vein, a social analyst, Mercy Aaron, said that Igbo are intelligent people that take advantage of opportunities.

“It even shows in their form of trading. They can persuade you to buy a Nigerian made of a foreign product. They can make the Nigerian version of Gucci bags, I mean they can create anything of value to society, but their lack of education costs them a lot in the area of not having patents for their inventions/brands, and sadly, the failure of some of them to do things legally.”

Aaron explained that Nigeria’s dwindling economy also impacts the choices that Igbo people make. “For them, it’s to survive first before anything, and one characteristic of the Igbos is that they detest begging. Hence, money-making comes first on their agenda.”

For financial advisor and Founder of the Naira Academy, Chukwuemeka Onyenezi: “When it comes to money-making, the apprenticeship gives more because it teaches the art of money-making. The fact that we have lots of relatively ‘not-rich’ university professors, who depend mostly on salary as a means of income shows there’s a financial literacy problem with our formal education system.

“This is unlike those who went through the informal sector, especially those who passed through the apprenticeship system. Ever wondered why places like Nnewi have the highest number of billionaires, and Anambra and other southeastern states have the highest number of millionaires in Nigeria? It’s not because of the universities that they have; it’s because they have a strong informal education system that is ingrained in the Igbo apprenticeship system.

“Years ago, Anambra people seemed not to be formally educated, but I won’t say entirely because Anambra was highly invested in informal education; they mastered and passed down the art of making through the Igbo apprenticeship system.”

Given the high rate of unemployment, the financial advisor said that the formal system is not meeting the demand of empowering youths, “so we have to start investing in the informal sector using the apprenticeship system of education to bring more people into entrepreneurship.

“The apprenticeship should be studied, and parts of it should be integrated into the formal education. We must find a way to infuse learning skill sets into our formal education system. To meet the entrepreneurial needs of our society, the formal and informal systems of education must meet themselves at the point of their needs.”

Onyenezi continued: “For me, education is a perspective. As a financial planner, financial literacy is education. So, in terms of financial literacy, the boys who pass through the informal sector are more educated (especially when it comes to earning). Even university professors struggle with financial literacy. ‘Nwa Boi’, who passed through an apprenticeship system, is taught to see opportunities; he can make money out of an intangible thing, as long as he can foresee the needs of people in his environment.

“The apprenticeship system might teach as the formal system does, but the system is well ingrained in practical knowledge of simple accounting systems, savings, simplicity, patience, innovativeness, competitiveness, customer relations management, business language (communication in business), bargaining strategy and negotiation skills, and humility. When you see a typical trader, who has mastered his trade, you will see these qualities in them.

Co-authors of the book, “In Pursuit – Journeys in African Entrepreneurship,” Chukuka Chukuma and Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, in their research of apprenticeship systems of different groups including the Jews, Lebanese, Chinese, and Indians, found out that the Igbo apprenticeship scheme was unique and stood head and shoulders above the others.

The book chronicles the journey of two friends who migrated to America and thereafter returned to Nigeria to start businesses of their own.

Drawing on their vast experiences of working, building, and supporting businesses, and exposure to multi-million dollar projects around the world, the authors uncovered what it takes to own, run, and grow a profitable business venture.

Written in a conversational banter-jab style, the authors meet readers at a beer parlour in Obalende or an upscale Café in Manhattan to share wisdom garnered through their continuous pursuit to fulfill their dreams.

According to them: “Wealth is such a distinguishing feature of the Igbo people. They seem to have an entrepreneurial gene that is embedded in their DNA. As a group, wherever they live, they tend to attract wealth and some of these successes can be traced back to the uniqueness of their apprenticeship scheme. Entrepreneurship is a more assured pathway to true wealth over employment and the Igbo people are usually found in various entrepreneurial endeavours in Nigeria and across the globe.”

Co-authors noted that the scheme has contributed to raising the economic potential of Africa, and the success of entrepreneurs, emphasising that the scheme has significantly contributed to economic growth within the Igbo community by creating numerous entrepreneurs and small business owners.

“It equips young people with practical skills and business acumen, reducing unemployment and fostering self-reliance. Graduates of the scheme often become successful business owners, contributing to the community’s wealth and economic stability. The system builds strong networks and relationships, which are crucial for business success and community cohesion,” they said.

The duo who claim that formal education prepares one for paid employment, regretted that there exist many highly educated people who can’t make ends meet. “Worse still, some of these overeducated folks have student debt, which can be crippling. So, the Igbo apprenticeship scheme is saving a lot of young men from going down what could be the wrong road, especially in a country like Nigeria where there aren’t enough jobs for millions of graduates. Even those with jobs are not earning liveable income. So this scheme should be adopted by the Nigerian government to reduce unemployment and put more boys and girls towards a path that gives them greater certainty to provide for themselves and their families.”

Suggesting that the scheme should be adopted in schools and run parallel with business studies, economics, and other subjects, the authors advised that younger people can be taught about important subjects like financial literacy, which the apprenticeship system teaches, which is for the best.

“Basic lessons like money, saving, spending, budgeting, earning, and investing are part of the curriculum that young people will learn from the scheme. A government policy can play a role in ensuring back actors are held accountable for promises made. Employment laws could be improved and expanded to include protections for mentors and mentees. There could be an insistence that contracts are drawn between the apprentice and his boss. With that, an arbitration clause could be introduced to ensure we don’t push cases to our already full courts.”

The Anambra State government is already laying a foundation, through its House of Assembly to ensure that the scheme is revitalised and given a statutory structure.

The member representing Anaocha Constituency II, Mr Ejike Okechukwu, introduced the “Anambra State Igbo Apprenticeship Bill 2024,” which has passed its second reading.

According to Okechukwu, the apprenticeship program’s regulation will lead to profitability, and a decline in unemployment rates.

He pointed out that the South East’s apprenticeship programme employed a large number of young people throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, adding that the apprenticeship system contributed to the South East having one of the largest markets in West Africa.

He added that the trainee system started breaking down when trainees or servants were fired without cause or recompense over alleged wrongdoings.

“Because of this, the majority of the youth started to believe that the system was a waste of time and effort. “However, the goal of this law is to set up a commission to supervise and develop a database that would connect people with their desired skills, or enterprises and with predetermined agreements. The rights of the “Oga” and the trainee are also examined by the bill. The main goals are to boost trade and commerce in the state and generate jobs,” Okechukwu stated.