From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Professor Au Nonyelu was the lead researcher into a 2021 study on reinvigorating the Igbo apprenticeship scheme, sponsored by chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, through his Pro-Value Humanity Foundation. He says in this interview that, given the depressing news from the nation’s education system, and also in view of the obsolescence, and irrelevance of skills and what is learnt to labour market demands, that there is need for a clear, deliberate policy to drive the route of apprentipreneurship from junior secondary school, with defined curriculum, programme duration, and incentives. He argues that, with time, the drive will become popular and reignite interest in the apprenticeship scheme with anticipated success stories, adding that this may become part of the institutionalization of the scheme in the light of resource scarcity.
What was the motive for the research project in which you were involved sometime ago on the Igbo apprenticeship scheme and how did it begin?
Yes, I was involved in the research project on the Igbo apprenticeship scheme, which came about as a result of the challenge by Obiora Okonkwo, founder and chair, of the Pro-Value Humanity Foundation, chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, and The Dome Abuja, who I invited as guest speaker during the dinner night of the graduands of Unizik Business School. Subsequently, he reiterated the need to do an empirical, thorough study on Igba Boyi (Igbo apprenticeship scheme) during the First International Conference of the Business School. Okonkwo did not stop at the call to reinvigorate the Igba Boyi scheme, but singularly funded the research on the Igbo apprenticeship scheme to the tune of N15 million. In other words, credit must be given to Okonkwo who had a personal experience with the Igba Boyi scheme under his father’s tutelage and business. According to him, generations of successful Igbo businesspeople have gone through this traditional business school. Nothing comparable to the Igba Boyi, where a renowned master, a capitalist doing his business, will get a young lad, either within his kindred or even elsewhere, teach him his business, support him in mastery of the trade, with money, credit line and business network to start and grow his own business. It is, therefore, his belief, and this is corroborated by our research, that the traditional Igba Boyi scheme among the Igbo is an example of African indigenous entrepreneurship.
Who worked with you on the research and how long did it take you to conclude?
As principal investigator, I was joined by a carefully selected team of distinguished scholars from management and allied disciplines who are co-principal investigators. They include Prof. Ezimma Nnabuife, Prof. Chinedu Onyeizugbe, Dr. Rosemary Anazodo and Dr. Blessing Onyima. The study itself was expansive and lasted more than 18 months.
What was the outcome of the research; what exactly did you discover through the research?
Much of what is observed in Igba Boyi is embedded in the culture of the Igbo people. Unique family attributes and features, which flow from and are reinforced by the wholistic cultural milieu, are implicated in the rise, and even fall of the Igba Boyi scheme. This is trite, given the dynamic nature of the cultural ensemble and its effect on attitudinal dispositions and orientations. I think, before we discuss the outcome of the research, it is apposite to throw further insights into the research questions and objectives that the study wanted to unravel. You remember the initial apprehension shared by Obiora and many other concerned Igbo that the hitherto flowering, promising apprenticeship scheme that the Igbo were known for appeared to be in a state of decline and facing an existential crisis, and that if nothing was done to revamp or reinvigorate it, it may cease to serve any useful purpose. Among the many objectives that guided the study were, identifying the socio-cultural characteristics that influenced Igbo entrepreneurial success, ascertaining how participation in the Igba Boyi scheme influenced business success, identifying those involved in Igba Boyi, establishing the relationship between Igba Boyi and wealth creation, interrogating the emergence of salesgirls as substitute for Igba Boyi, identifying the role of the state/government in promoting Igba Boyi among the Igbo, and the relationship between loss of family values and decline in Igba Boyi.
The findings of this study revealed, among others, that there is a decline in Igba Boyi among Igbo youths as a result of decline in family values; that values of business success are inseparable with the integral nature of honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, patience and discipline; there is a positive relationship between Igba Boyi and entrepreneurial success of the Igbo; that the socio-cultural characteristics of the Igbo positively affect their entrepreneurial success; entrepreneurial and apprenticeship culture is mainly associated with the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria; Igba Boyi scheme of the Igbo is operated on igwebuike, and onye aghana Nwanne ya philosophy and ideology; Igbo apprenticeship has the potential to increase wealth for Igbo entrepreneurs, ensures expansion in private trade and industry and capacity for sustainable development; there is a positive relationship between Nwa Boyi (apprentice), employment and wealth creation; there is positive relationship between the acquisition of basic skills and values by Umu Boyi and entrepreneurial success; that Ndi Oga (masters) with higher education are more likely to achieve business success than those with lower levels of education; Ndi Oga who participated in apprenticeship scheme are more likely to succeed in business than those who did not; the type of business Ndi Oga are dealing in is related to the length of stay of Umu Boyi.
The Igbo apprenticeship scheme has a significant effect on business idea generation in which young men and women benefit by acquiring practical training in a particular skill. It was established that salesgirls would never replace Igba Boyi but would continue to exist in their own right as a measure to fill the insufficient demand for clerical and accounting labour force. The scheme delivers a confirmed model, which can be modified and joined as a practice element of entrepreneurship that will lead to job and wealth creation as well as economic growth and development.
What methodology did your team adopt in the project?
The study employed a concurrent, mixed-method research design, which incorporated both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis. This method demands that both quantitative and qualitative data be collected simultaneously, but were analyzed separately and then integrated at the stage of interpretation of the findings. This specifically implies that two sets of questionnaires were designed and administered at one end and in-depth interviews (IDI), key informant interviews (KII), and focus group discussions (FGD) at the other end. However, neither the qualitative nor the quantitative approaches informed or influenced each other but rather ran concurrently. This implies that both research approaches have equal weight in terms of importance.
There has been some renewed interest in Igbo apprenticeship to create jobs; how best do you think the scheme can serve this purpose?
One way of achieving that purpose is by creating a Centre for Igba Boyi (Apprenticeship) within the university that will periodically organize short certificate courses on a part-time basis during long vacations or as the sessions are still on. This can also be replicated as workshops for groups of secondary school students. The above will create avenues for sensitizing our youth towards realizing that they can become self-employed even as they are searching for jobs or apply the knowledge gained during the training in their places of employment. The masters (Ndi Oga) from different markets and some people who have gone through Imu Ahia/Igba Boyi will also be invited as guest speakers at the workshops.
Part of the recommendation from the research is the creation of a Ministry of Apprenticepreneurship or a Directorate in the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The Centre for Igba Boyi will work hand in hand with the above ministry or directorate towards ensuring that the major objective of sensitizing our youths on the importance of Igba Boyi or apprenticeship is achieved.
Similarly, for the scheme to serve this purpose, there is also a need to rebrand the Igbo apprenticeship scheme so as to remove the low sense of self-esteem (as some see Igba Boyi as servanthood or slavery) recently associated with the Igbo apprenticeship scheme, which has affected the psyche of the participants and apprentices negatively, making them shy away from the scheme. There is, therefore, need to reinvigorate Igbo entrepreneurship through these measures: the Igba Boyi scheme should be reconfigured through what we have coined as “Nkwado Ogaranya” by institutionalizing it through teaching in institutions of higher learning and enculturation in communities, families, churches and seminars, among other methods for the younger generation to realize that it is their future that is being prepared for sustainable empowerment and development. This training of the younger generation is to be achieved through the agency of another scheme or concept, which we termed “Apprentice-preneurship,” is a form of mutual business relationship where the Oga (the mentor and trainer) gains from the apprentice, who is being prepared to be rich/wealthy (“Nwanaakwado iba ogaranya”). The mentee (nwa boyi) gains experience, skill and knowledge through the various assistance rendered to the Oga, his family and business. Put differently, the apprentice in turn gains from the Oga by learning the necessary skills and secrets of a trade or craft.
After rebranding, Igba Boyi will no longer be regarded as servitude or slavery but seen as the period of service needed for the preparation of the nwaboyi for the creation of wealth and greatness. The Igbo Entrepreneurial Incubation Scheme (IEIS) is explained by the two former concepts; Nkwado Ogaranya and Apprenticepreneurship. The concept of apprenticepreneurship is seen as a special incubation period of preparation when the necessary sacrifice and discipline must be made to prepare the young apprentice for future greatness and this is amply buttressed by the “no pain, no gain” cliché. Families need to revert to the ancient ways of raising children in Igbo land as those were the times when honesty, diligence, discipline, and hard work among others, were seriously considered as basics. The above two areas are where the family institution, communities and higher institutions are required to play serious roles in the required paradigm shift arising from the study.
Is the report of your project publicly available? Can it be assessed by any groups and organisations that may want to further study it and maybe build on what you have already established?
Yes, the international edition is already available on most of the leading online booksellers, including Amazon (UK, USA, Japan etc) and Barnes & Noble. We have it on Amazon USA (amazon.com); Amazon UK (amazon.co.uk); Amazon Japan; Barnes & Noble as well as at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Bookshop. One can always get copies here.
If you were to advise governments, NGOs, businesses etc. on job creation using the apprenticeship model, what new advice would you give especially, given that Nigeria’s youths have become more pushful than before?
The Government can help in digitizing the Igba Boyi scheme by creating an accessible and affordable modern trading environment with internet facilities that would enable traders to use modern banking facilities like ATMs, and internet transfers, encouraging drop shipping and embracing the use of social media in buying and selling. Again, we established that the government has not been fully involved in the Igba Boyi scheme and does not interfere in the relationship between ndioga and umuboyi. The high rate of conflicts and disagreements related to settlement of nwaboyi/apprentice or graduation issues can be curtailed if the government can wade in by providing some percentage of the settlement funds or start up business capital to graduating apprentices. Legal protection and support can be provided for abandoned or maltreated apprentices to serve as deterrent to evil and wicked masters who have refused to settle their graduating apprentices. We therefore recommended that the government and the other relevant stakeholders (communities, kings, elders, NGOs) support successfully graduated apprentices from the scheme. This is why we have recommended the adoption of the triple helix model which is an innovative model that explores the nexus of interactions between academia (science), industry (society), and government (policy) to foster collaboration towards economic and social development. The three sectors should collaborate to boost the capacity of the Igba Boyi Scheme in contributing to development.