Jude Eze looks frail. At his Orhom Orba village in Udenu LGA of Enugu State, Jude appears to be living in anguish of wasted years of apprenticeship in Cotonou, Benin Republic. He claims that his dream of becoming a self-made man before the age of 30 is now a mirage.
“I am 44,” he begins his story, with his pale hands shaking. “I served my master for nine years, from 2002. Two months to the end of my apprenticeship, my boss, Emeka Eze, took away the capital and gains in my shop to import motorcycle tubes and tyres from China. The goods turned out to be fake. That was how that business collapsed.”
Jude said his master explained to him the misfortune that befell his business. “I forgive him,” he says. “What would I have done? I returned home to learn carpentry, which is what I do now. I feel my master didn’t plan well.”
Ernest Nwabueze lives in Enugu. His apprenticeship foray took him to Gombe where he learnt selling of clothes. Ernest served his master for seven years, then the unfortunate happened. “My master claimed he was swindled by some dubious importers,” he says. “His business collapsed. We wrote an agreement before the commencement of the apprenticeship. Considering what happened, I forgave him.” Ernest is currently doing menial jobs to sustain his young family.
He raises a pertinent issue: “My master wanted to even sell some of his assets to settle me, but his family members refused. I see cheating because I generated money which he invested. He could have settled me, no matter the sum, from there.”
Ernest advises the youth to learn skilled apprenticeship instead of buying and selling. “If an apprentice learns welding or mechanics, he can use the knowledge to sustain himself even if his master decides not to settle him. Trading involves capital.”
Chukwuebuka Odo, residing at Iwollo in Ezeagu LGA of Enugu State, quit secondary education for apprenticeship. “As the first son in my family,” he gives reasons, “I chose to undergo apprenticeship in Lagos for ten years. Towards the end, my master claimed he had no money to settle me because he had issues with his wife. I looked at all these, and decided to take my destiny into hands. I stayed in Lagos briefly. Someone gave me some money which I used to transport myself back home. I returned with nothing.”
One of the shortcomings of the once-thriving Igbo apprenticeship system, according to him, is that some masters take their apprentices for granted. “There should be established plans to settle apprentices; not in the dying minutes. I recall some of my colleagues that were frustrated for minor reasons, such as drinking beer, having girlfriends.”
My Friend Died Mysteriously Doing Apprenticeship – Youth
Chizoba, 25, is from Umachi in Igboeze South LGA. “I’ll never do it,” he states. He claims the mysterious death of two brothers undergoing apprenticeship informed his stance. “They were killed overseas. One has been buried; the younger one is yet to be buried. Some masters assign dangerous roles to their apprentices. No one knows why two brothers should die. They were shot differently. I will remain in my Okada business.”
The fear expressed by Chizoba is shared by Mrs Juliana Odo, from Ezimo. “I can’t entrust my child upon anyone. There are many stories of disappearance, deaths and failure to settle these apprentices.”
Some Masters Are ‘Occultic’ – Patent Medicine Dealer
Cajethan Nnadi is a veteran patent medicine dealer. “At least, ten apprentices have passed through me,” Nnadi hints. “Four of them today run their respective pharmaceutical companies. Some masters belong to cults. I won’t belong to any cult to evade settling my apprentice. I would rather inform the person to learn and be settled by his people. But if such a person agrees to serve me for the stipulated time and conducts himself ethically, I will never disappoint him.”
Nnadi, however, alleges that some apprentices are thieves. “Some apprentices have stealing traits,” says Nnadi. “No matter what, they will steal from their masters. Some build houses. In that case, don’t blame the masters for sacking them.”
Swearing An Oath A Solution!
Oliver Eze owns a thriving building materials company at 9th Mile, Udi LGA of Enugu State. “I normally assign a shop to each at a stage of the apprenticeship. I don’t expect them to be hungry nor not dress well. But they are forbidden to steal my money or embark on capital projects while under me. They swear an oath. Faithful ones receive my blessings, and they always do well. There is joy in making apprentices great.”
Igbo Boys Shun Apprenticeship For ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ – Welder
Onwuka Eze, a welder, seems fulfilled doing his job along Enugu-Makurdi expressway. Asked the cause of the disinterestedness among Igbo youths to go into apprenticeship, Onwuka snaps, “Yahoo yahoo! They don’t want to learn skills even if you make it free. Some complain about settlement. But let them learn first. They will be looking at the incomes of their masters. I advise our youth to be patient because skills give cool money.”
Benjamin Ugwu, fashion and designer at Nsukka, shares the same opinion, “Young boys don’t want to learn skills,” he affirms. “Yahoo-yahoo is trending everywhere. How sustainable, I don’t know! When they see their age mates below 20 making millions of naira, they feel apprenticeship is a waste of time.”
On refusal of some masters to settle their apprentices, Ugwu asserts, “I can’t generalise. If the person is calm and follow the ethics of the learning, I believe most masters will happily settle their apprentices. Writing an agreement should be done.”
The Scheme Can Be Revived – Nnadi
Uchenna Nnadi, director general of Nsukka Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, agrees that the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) is a means of transmitting and creating wealth. He traces its origin to 2000 BC during the era of iron ore smelting work at Leja in Nsukka LGA. He also agrees that it was the weapon that re-launched the economy of Ndigbo after the Biafran war.
“The scheme is both an incubator and venture capital for MSMEs,” he states. “It is a self-contained system with little or no external support, including government recognition. Yet it has produced globally notable ambassadors. Despite the enormous strengths and opportunities inherent in IAS, there are also challenges based on the fact that it thrives on the informal sector.”
Government neither regulates nor funds it, he says, adding that the implications include poor research and development on IAS, as well as lack of public laws and rules guiding IAS. “It is neither recognised nor integrated with Nigeria’s formal educational system,” he says. “This often leads to the master not settling the apprentice and/or the apprentice stealing the master’s money with no satisfactory arbitration system for both parties. Some masters had taken to initiating themselves and their apprentices into cults. The above challenges have made many masters rather seek sales girls and boys other than apprentices.”
To make it functional, Nnadi suggests Igbo town unions engaging Southeast stakeholders, such as South-East Chamber of Commerce, the academia, traders’ associations, lawmakers and government, to begin to create formal rules for Igbo Apprenticeship System. “If it is integrated into the mainstream educational system, Southeast governors should anchor fiscal incentivization of Igbo Apprenticeship System,” he added.
Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie is the founder of Maka Odimma Igbo, which is championing the revival of the Igbo apprenticeship system. “This scheme is responsible for what Igboland is today,” he narrates. “Knowing that Igbos were reduced to £20 each after the civil war irrespective of the amount you have in the bank, any system that contributed to this phantom leap is worth promoting. It is the apprenticeship scheme that did that magic.”
He regretted the abuses that have killed the scheme. “Some masters frame up accusations against their apprentices, especially towards the end of their apprenticeship to evade settling them,” says Kanayo. “Also some apprentices milk their Oga till they are caught. There was one apprentice building a duplex in his village while still serving.”
He explains that his group has pushed for the formalisation of the system: “Its formalization as advocated by my group is to checkmate such abuses in line with global best practices. We advocate a central system where every apprenticeship contract shall be registered from towns to regions with clear terms. Because incomes can stop coming, we want the masters to deposit a certain amount into a consolidated account that can only be released to the apprentice at the end of the scheme. If there be any misconduct by the apprentice, the master shall report it immediately to the body for action.
“We also want to introduce this scheme in our schools to enable our youths that cannot calculate or read and write to take classes in English and maths, even if evening or weekend classes. We plan to have a central certificate issuance system for all people that successfully complete the scheme with the master as one of the signatories with the central and regional heads.”
He recalls with joy that the apprenticeship scheme has drawn the attention of Harvard Business School which adapted it as a vibrant business model in 2021. “It is therefore today acknowledged as the world’s best business model. We the owners should take it to a higher level,” he canvasses
There Should Be Legislation To Make It Binding – Lawyer
Barr Ken Ike is a constitutional lawyer. He admits that most times, the terms and conditions for the scheme are not secured by a written agreement.
“Due to the verbal nature of the terms and conditions, any mishap to the master will exonerate him from the responsibility assumed upon taking up the young adult,” Barr Ike states. “There are also incidences of abuse of the young adult either by his master or someone who was expected to coach the young adult. The young adults may suffer undue peer influence which could lead them astray, especially when the master is not prudent or meticulous.”
He proffers the solutions. “There has to be a formal agreement to guide and protect the interest of the parties. The government should intervene by raising the bar of protection available to the young adults by providing the minimum age for entry and security for their entitlement upon completion. If concerted efforts are made to make the terms and conditions for the scheme more transparent and secure, it will serve a very useful purpose in the empowerment of young adults, not only in Igbo land, but it will enhance the country’s gross domestic product.”
This report is with the support of the Civil Media Lab