The Igbo apprenticeship system, popularly known as igba boi, imu ahia, imu oru, or igba odibo, is a marketing system that has thrown the Igbo race into the global limelight as legendary business geniuses. This system began way back in the pre-colonial eras by farmers before Igbo traders of the post-Nigeria civil war emulated it.
The Igbo apprenticeship system has been considered one of the major factors that helped pull most South-Eastern families out of poverty within the first two years after the Biafra war. Senator Ifeanyi Uba, Cosmas Maduka (Coscharis Group), Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing), and Cletus Ibeto (Ibeto Group), to mention but a few, are all products of the Igbo apprenticeship system.
The success story of this system has become so widely known that an editorial on the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) was approved by the prestigious Harvard Business School in 2021.
What is Igbo apprenticeship system?
The Igbo apprenticeship system is an informal agreement where a young boy learns a trade of his choice under the tutelage of his master, a man who is already established in that business. The master settles the boy to start on his own after a specific number of years.
As previously stated, this practice began during the pre-colonial era, when farmers took young people to serve them on their farms. After they had come of age, the farmers would settle them with some yams and some portion of their masters’ land to cultivate their own crops. Through this, the young men fend for themselves and pay it forward by taking other young men to work on their farms.
The apprenticeship system blossomed after the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, where the harsh 20 Pounds Policy of the Nigerian government forced a lot of Igbos into poverty. The war saw many Igbos lose their property, businesses, jobs, and education. Equipped with only 20 pounds, the Igbo man had to start afresh through petty trading to survive. Through their resilience and business acumen, they grew their businesses enough to take in boys, usually from villages, to teach them the trade.
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How Igbo apprenticeship is done
In Igbo apprenticeship, a young man leaves his family to live under the care and supervision of the master of the trade he wants to learn. The number of years is between five to seven years. This apprentice could be related to the master. He could be his brother, cousin, or any other distant relative. The apprentice could even be the son of a best friend or friend of a friend. In most cases, the apprentice is usually from the same hometown as the master.
The apprentice is often not allowed to go home to his family without his master’s permission during festivities, even if they live in the same city. It’s a total lockdown for the apprentice as he is under the full control of the master.
He is expected to prepare his master’s shop before the master arrives for work. He will run all the errands the master sends him without question. His duties are not limited to the shop alone. The apprentice is expected to run errands for the household. He will respect and obey the master’s spouse and help her with domestic chores like cleaning the house, fetching water, and in some cases, cooking. In return, the master takes care of the apprentice’s every need, including feeding, clothing, transportation to and from work, and housing. If the apprentice falls ill, the master must take care of his health.
It is an all-round training for the boy which requires a lot of patience and discipline. The apprentice is not only apprised of his performances in the master’s business but his behavior in his household as well.
At the end of the apprenticeship, the master rewards the young boy with some funds to start his own business. Some masters even rent and furnish shops for their outstanding apprentices. Because these boys are just starting out on their own, some benevolent masters can assist with providing goods for their former apprentices to help reduce the extra cost of purchase.
How the Igbo apprenticeship system reduced poverty in Igboland
Means to escape hardship
Youths whose parents and guardians cannot afford post-primary and university education embrace apprenticeship to learn any trade of their choice to escape poverty. Although the practice is fast dwindling as boys now prefer to go to school, those still interested in buying and selling still adopt this system instead of wasting their years “hustling” to raise enough funds for schooling.
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Helps to reduce unemployment
The Igbo strongly believe that there is no food for a lazy man. If you don’t work, you won’t eat. This has forced many young people to learn any skill of their choice, such as trading, mechanic, and bricklaying, among others, to survive. Even university graduates who cannot find white-collar jobs are forced to learn a trade under the apprenticeship system to survive. At the end of the apprenticeship, the graduate can establish his own business instead of waiting endlessly for an employment letter.
Provides funding for business startup
With the Igbo apprenticeship system, a young person doesn’t need to go through the vigorous process of sourcing for funds to start up a business. All he must do is diligently serve his master for some years, and he is settled with startup capital.
Builds mentorship and entrepreneurial mindset
The Igbo apprenticeship system is the perfect example of mentorship where an apprentice has a better chance of making fewer business mistakes when he begins his own business. Under the supervision and mentorship of his master, the apprentice learns all there is to know about running a business. He will adopt the entrepreneurial mindset whereby he doesn’t look up to the government to earn a living. Ndigbo has many billionaires and millionaires due to this mentorship and mindset.
Some apprentices are known to manage their masters’ business with little or no supervision. This gives them the ownership mindset, which creates the belief that their masters’ success is their success. So, they work hard not just to impress their masters but to have the bragging right of being the brains behind their masters’ success.
Fear of karma
Ndigbo believe in the law of karma. This means apprentices are scared to wreck their masters’ business because they fear the same thing will happen to them in the future. This fear pushes them to do all they can to make their master’s business flourish so that when it is their “turn,” their businesses will flourish too.
Also, no master wants the reputation of not settling apprentices because it is a tag that lasts for generations. Apart from the fact that it will incur the wrath of the community back home, the fear of the apprentice’s chi affecting his business for not fulfilling his part of the bargain after years of service is enough to make the master comply with the rules. In this case, Igbo apprenticeship is more spiritual than financial.
Conclusion
The Igbo apprenticeship system is a culture among the Igbo people. It is a local strategy that has helped build strong businesses facing harsh realities. Unfortunately, the system is fast dwindling as many youths now prefer the get-money-quick syndrome. Unlike before, youths are no longer patient enough to learn a trade. Everyone wants to be a millionaire overnight without working for it. The cheering news is that the system has attracted global attention as case studies in prestigious institutions like the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Harvard Business School.
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