AN OVERVIEW OF THE APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACT IN IGBO LAND

OKECHUKWU, FAVOUR CHINYERE (2026) AN OVERVIEW OF THE APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACT IN IGBO LAND. Other thesis, GODFREY OKOYE UNIVERSITY.

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Abstract

ABSTRACT This research project undertakes a comprehensive legal analysis of the Igba Boi (Igbo apprenticeship) system, examining its formation, terms, enforcement, and interface with Nigeria's formal legal order. The study was motivated by the observation that despite its celebrated socio-economic success having produced generations of Igbo entrepreneurs and underpinned post-war economic recovery, the Igba Boi system exists in a state of legal ambiguity, neither fully recognised nor prohibited by Nigerian law. The research adopted a doctrinal and socio-legal methodology, combining critical analysis of primary sources (legislation, case law, customary law principles) with extensive review of anthropological, economic, and legal literature. The study examined the Labour Act, Cap L1, LFN 2004, the Anambra State Igbo Apprenticeship Law 2025, the Enugu State Revised Contract Law 2004, and comparable legislations from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, India, and the United Kingdom. The research found that the Igba Boi system is robust within its own normative structure but exists in a state of de facto form within Nigeria's formal legal order. The central legal vulnerabilities identified include evidential weaknesses, uncertainty of terms, capacity issues, lack of enforcement mechanisms, and a regulatory vacuum. The research concludes that the challenges facing Igba Boi are not fatal but symptomatic of its clash with a modern, individualised, and legally formalistic society. Thirteen recommendations are proposed, including enactment of a Model Traditional Apprenticeship Protection Law, amendment of the Evidence Act 2011, establishment of Community Apprenticeship Councils, and integration of the system with formal credit and business registration mechanisms. Keyword: Igba Boi, Apprenticeship Contract, Igbo Customary Law, Legal Pluralism, Labour Act, Settlement (Nwunye), National Industrial Court

Item Type: Thesis (Other)
Subjects: K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Law
Depositing User: MABEL AMAECHI
Date Deposited: 24 Jul 2026 14:08
Last Modified: 24 Jul 2026 14:08
URI: http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/5999

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