UNIZIK Holds 127th Inaugural Lecture, Identifies “Igba Boi” As Systematic Model For Youth Employment

Governor Chukwuma Soludo says Anambra State is well ahead of other states in Nigeria in terms of a well-thought-out plan that would proficiently engage the youths to become self-reliant.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, at the ASUU Secretariat, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, during the 127th Inaugural Lecture of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Governor Soludo called on the private sector to join the government in encouraging Igba Boi, which he said has remained an informal business school that develops human capital, Small and Medium Enterprises, and sustainable livelihoods across South-East Nigeria, a reason, he said, his government wasted no time in enacting a law to make it more official and easier for apprentices.

Earlier, while declaring the event open, the Vice Chancellor of UNIZIK, Professor Stanley Anyaechie, described as apt the theme of the event, “Navigating The Labyrinth Of SME Development In Nigeria: Unveiling An Improved Model Of Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme As A Mitigant”, saying that the institution has been in the forefront of developing templates that strengthen societal growth.

Delivering the lecture, Professor Chinedu Onyeizugbe of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, highlighted the various benefits of local apprenticeship, its challenges and solutions based on numerous research he carried out, and urged the Anambra State Government to continue with its One Youth Two Skills initiative, which he said has produced a lot of millionaires, and noted that the model has been copied by the Federal Government and many states in Nigeria as the way to go if youths must be gainfully employed.

Professor Onyeizugbe recommended that local apprenticeship should run concurrently with formal education to achieve greater benefits, and called for the integration of girls into the scheme, since, according to him, girls should also enroll in Igba Boi for the larger growth and development of SMEs, even as he listed SMEDAN, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme as agencies that have supported and are still promoting the SME model.

Professor Onyeizugbe, who is the Chairman of the One Youth Two Skills Programme 1.0 and 2.0, listed some innovations that would further enhance the scheme.

In an interview, the Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Mr. Patrick Aghamba, said he was at the event as a mark of gratitude for Professor Onyeizugbe’s contribution to the success of the youth development agenda of Solution 1.0 and 2.0, making the scheme most impactful.