THE IGBO APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM

Many years ago, I met two young men. Emeka and Calistus didn't exactly have the outlook of book smart kids, but they could decipher the handwriting on any prescription paper and pronounce the name of drugs and their generics with flipping ease.

A common conversation would go this way:

Me: "Emeka abeg how much be cataflam?"

Emeka: "We no get cataflam. Na voltaren dey."

Me: "Wetin consign me and Voltron? I say cataflam and you dey call herbalist name for me."

Emeka: (Giggling) "Voltaren contain diclofenac na, the same thing wey cataflam get and na the same work dem dey do."

Me: (Confirms from Doctors friend) "Oya bring Voltron"

Fast forward to a few years later, Emeka had his own "chemist" a few blocks away and Calistus took over as the new manager of the store. I rarely saw the owner except when he appears at night to reconcile the books.

A few years I drove by the area to find that Calistus now owns that chemist, and the main guy had moved on to something else totally removed from the area.

There is something about the native intelligence these Igbo born traders operate by, specific to the market they serve. The model has served them well and can be supported to build a massive industry if we care to pay attention to what these people have done over the years.

What our government should do is not to contaminate that family-centric capitalism, but find ways to create enabling and support systems around the model. We have ignored for too long our traditional and local knowledge base to import alien ideas and force them to work here.

I wish we could put some numbers to the great wealth that has been generated through this apprenticeship system. Our Igbo brothers have a lot to teach us about local wealth creation and we better pay greater attention and provide the spaces for them to thrive. We will all benefit from their prosperity.