By Kenechukwu Ofomah
The 7-year maximum set as duration for apprentices under the new Igbo Apprenticeship (Igba Boi) Bill passed into law on Tuesday by the Anambra State House of Assembly, has been criticized as rather too long.
The law, which takes effect from September 10, 2025, set the apprenticeship duration to a maximum of 7 years and stipulates basic education for apprentices, while defining the rights and responsibilities of both mentors and apprentices to ensure balance, fairness, and accountability.
Providing a framework to guide apprenticeship, ensuring fair treatment of apprentices and setting minimum standards for training, the law establishes the Anambra State Igbo Apprenticeship Commission to keep a register of apprentices and handle disputes when they arise.
But, according to the founder and President, Umunna Business School, Ozonkpu Chief Dr Uche Nworah, who has been taken giant strides towards instituting the practice, the duration appears too long, considering how the society has evolved and the enablements of technology.
Welcoming the passage of the bill, Nworah suggested that the duration for the apprenticeship training should be between four to five years.
“As someone who has spent quality time looking into the Igbo Apprenticeship scheme, any move to strengthen the scheme is welcome by me.
“However, I would have loved to see that there was enough consultation done by the State Assembly, to ensure that the view of the stakeholders are properly aggregated. These views will give the law a better poise and ensure that all grounds are covered.
“Recall that when I was the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State Broadcasting Service, ABS, I convened a national summit on the Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme and the Vice President at the time, Prof Yemi Osibanjo was in attendance. So, it is encouraging to see what the House of Assembly is doing today.
“My thinking is that 7 years is a long time. Technology has happened and a lot of things have changed. I would have loved to see the law say about four to five years for the conclusion of the program,” he said.
Ozonkpu Nworah also revealed his expectation that the law should accommodate insurance policy, to ensure that the masters under the scheme do not shortchange the apprentices, in an event when they are not able to settle their apprentices.
“This is what we have been canvassing for. There should be some kind of insurance whereby the masters taking on these apprentices would be contributing premium under an insurance policy, so that at the end of the agreement period, if they are not able to take care of the settlement of these apprentices, the insurance would suffice for the settlement,” he said.
The social crusader also disagreed with the stipulation of the law, that the apprentices would have acquired basic education before embarking on the scheme.
According to him, the government should allow the apprentices learn the trade or business, and acquire certification in the process.
“I do not subscribe to the demand that the apprentices should have basic education. The apprentices should be given the opportunity to learn the trade or business.
“The State Government can now get into some kind of agreement with local schools or polytechnics, so that while the apprentices are training, they can go there and give them some kind of certification.
“This was why we set up the Umunna Business School, so that we can take the school to the apprentices where they are training,” Nworah enthused.
