Igbo apprenticeship system a model to ending Nigeria’s poverty.
By Useni Rufai
Sometimes we waste time looking for solutions in Sokoto when solutions lie in our sokoto (Yoruba name for trouser). I have constantly looked for solutions to Nigeria’s problem but I must say I have found it in the Igbo entrepreneurship system.
The Igbo apprentice system, also known as the Igbo trade apprentice system and commonly referred to as Igba-Odibo/Igba-Boi/Imu-
Its purposes were and still remain to spur economic growth and stability, and sustainable livelihood by financing and investing in human resources through vocational training. This system can be traced back to pre-colonial days when the Igbo slaves learned a lot about the trade from their masters and their setup. The system became bigger in the 40s when the Nnewi Youth League was set up, Sir Louis Ojukwu used this setup to empower many young boys from Nnewi which is why today Nnewi has the most billionaires per square meter in Nigeria. I must add the likes of Innoson, Chikason, and others came out of this system. Despite the marginalization of the East, Anambra has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, this system has improved the livelihood and development of people also a form of this system has been used in the South and it has proven a winner. The likes of Adeola Odutola rose out of nothing from the apprenticeship systems.
I suggest that the government should do is to set up a loan scheme for every village in this country, the money could be given to banks like LAPO and other Microfinance banks. The disbursement should be run like a business. I believe this will go a long way. I also suggest that the cash transfer should be converted to an unemployment benefit for 12 months to spur people to seek jobs. Also, we must have a job office where people register for jobs in every village in Nigeria. Most importantly the government must provide an enabling environment for all these ideas to materialize. I believe that this and other industrial development measures will help bring more people out of poverty. The Nigerian Government must bolster the apprenticeship system.
Culled from Oseni Rufai’s X page @ruffydfire.
