Imu – Ahia or Imu Oluis the name for the apprenticeship system that purports a responsibility on established business men in a town, street, or local areas in Igbo land to pick up teenagers – young adults from their homes and give an informally formal, but raw and practical cutthroat business education. These apprentices are not paid; they are afforded accommodation, transportation where necessary, feeding and clothing. The duration of the apprenticeship takes roughly 5 – 7 years after which, the boy is as good as his master, and he sets him up with some cash and goods to start his own shop.

Before the war, the Igbo were largely in their third generation of foreign trained professionals, in Law, Medicine and Engineering by 1963, a step ahead of the Yoruba nation. The war meant any chances of such continuance were ruined.
After the desolation of the civil war and its terrible legacy of scattered grounds in Eastern Nigeria, the Igbo nation could not return to their homes or schools again, thus they turned to the alternative – business.
The Igbo is the most capable of teaching the world trade education through the development and automation of the Igbo trade apprenticeship system called incubation in modern entrepreneurship parlance. The Igbo venture capital apprenticeship scheme is designed for wealth creation and distribution.

Sadly, most apprentices of Entrepreneurship came with wrong understanding of their mission under their Master’s tutelage. Some do not know that at the place and time of apprenticeship is when their future and destiny is defined. Some apprentices are carried away at the sight of money and good life, so they begin to engage in different self – destructive habits like clubbing, womanizing, smoking, drinking, and buying the trendy fashion in town. This is a great illusion that has destroyed a lot of young aspiring entrepreneurs and returns them back to poverty.
These are the things that will eventually expose them and possibly truncate their apprenticeship journey, and send them back to the village. They need to be made to understand their background, mission, vision and the role their boss is playing in shaping their entrepreneurship future positively by proper education.

When you serve faithfully and profitably under a master, then, you have laid a solid foundation for yourself, family, and those who are going to learn entrepreneurship under you in future.
On the flip side, some masters are wicked and exploitative. They will receive services from an apprentice for 5 – 7 years and still send them away empty handed with all the entrepreneurial experiences with flimsy excuses. Such Masters should be made to fulfill their obligations in apprenticeship contract provisions (if any).

Backing Apprenticeship System With A Legal Framework
Wealth creation by the rich for the poor is good, commendable and a very effective incubator in entrepreneurship, but it needs a legal contractual agreement to protect the Master and apprentice from bleeding and burning each other’s hands in the process. Like I mentioned earlier, some apprentices came to build and expand their Master’s business to greater heights, while some came to squander and pull it down. More so, some Masters are very wicked, diabolical and exploitative. Some were alleged to have taken their servants to occultplaces to swear their obedience and faithfulness in the apprenticeship journey. Some were alleged to have settled their servants with bad money (cultic) after serving for eight years or more. Some servants were alleged to have absconded with their Master’s money, rendering him poor and ineffective in business.
All these allegation and counter allegations will only be taken care of by drawing up entrepreneurship contractual agreement to protect both parties from burning each other’s hands.

Apprenticeship Seminar
Knowledge is power, they say, and this is true in all its ramifications.
This is why EEO have designed a seminar to educate all registered entrepreneurs and entrepreneur apprentices to understand more clearly the purpose of Master and apprentice relationship and what it is expected to achieve in the life of the apprentice, family, and the nation.
When parties in entrepreneurship apprenticeship contract respect it, it then strengthens the entrepreneurship chain, and eradicates poverty. The right application of acquired entrepreneurship experience leads to right acquisition of wealth and good life, but when abused, it breaks the entrepreneurship chain and closes the door for potential wealth creation and the resultant effect is poverty and in some cases, breeds criminality.
So, our team of trained and experienced entrepreneurs is poised to teach basic understanding and application of the Igbo venture capital system as a more effective system of incubation in entrepreneurship.

Establishment Of Failed Apprentice Entrepreneurs
Every sacked apprentice entrepreneur has acquired invaluable experiences in entrepreneurship, and EEO would not want such experienced entrepreneur to be wasted. We will work with their Masters and families to restore and establish them again in entrepreneurship. An entrepreneurship apprentice is different from a house boy or girl.
An apprentice entrepreneur is under a contract of service for a stipulated period of time to graduate for settlement for entrepreneurship, while the houseboy takes care of the house chores and errands. The apprentice entrepreneur can choose to attend to house chores and errands willingly, but that is not his duty.
So, the two MUST be clearly defined in the contractual agreement.