Of leadership and apprenticeship, by Muyiwa Adetiba

There are many endearing aspects of the Igbo business culture. But few, in my opinion, are more endearing than the apprenticeship system. It is a system that teaches and then empowers. The two most important requisites in successful entrepreneurship are knowledge and finance. The Igbo apprenticeship system provides both. This system, which has become a case study in many business schools the world over, has made billionaires out of enterprising young men and women who might otherwise have amounted to very little in life.

It has also led to the dominance of its graduates in certain key areas of the economy. It is a system that is self-serving, yet selfless: a symbiotic relationship that works best when both the ‘Oga’ and the apprentice keep their eyes on a bigger picture. For the success of the system lies in an apprentice understanding the temperaments or idiosyncrasies of the boss while the boss learns to work with the precociousness or sometimes waywardness of the apprentice. It is in threading the fine balance of knowing when to hold on and when to let go. When the release is done at the right time, a confident and competent young entrepreneur emerges to take on the world. At the wrong time, a frustrated and destructive force surfaces.

There are many variants of the apprenticeship system with some more formal than the others – the Yoruba have their own which might not be seen as successful because it is not as encompassing or as empowering. The constant in any apprenticeship system however, is that the apprentice must be humble and be willing to learn. He must be willing to serve his term however long it takes. Sometimes, he has to subsume his personality and ambition in order to do this. It is called stooping to conquer. And at the time he is flourishing in his own space after graduation, the storms of life buffet as they often do, he is not afraid to start all over again if need be. He already knows the ropes. He is not a mere joiner who knows very little of the building blocks, let alone the foundation of the house under which he is sheltering.  

Peter Obi is Igbo. He is also a self-confessed trader.  So he should be very conversant with the apprenticeship system. That is, if he has not been involved with it at one time or the other himself. He should know the modalities. He should know the stages involved – tooling, nurturing, ripening and harvesting. He should know that every stage teaches patience and discipline as every stage offers lessons. He is also, by several accounts, an entrepreneur who is said to have built his business empire block by block.

Why then has he abandoned this model in his political life? Why didn’t he serve his apprenticeship in APGA for example, and thereafter emerge confident enough to help build a political party around his ideology? A party where his cult of followers could have blossomed and also be able to recruit other ideologically minded people across the country. A party which would be difficult to hijack or disable through sophistry or political mischief. Why did he opt to be a professional manager instead? In the corporate world, a professional manager brandishes his impressive CV to every potential employer. He promises to turn the fortune of the company around while what he really wants is a job. And the security that a regular paycheck offers.

He is therefore, not hesitant to jump ship at the first sign of a storm because there is no emotional stake involved. That is the image that Peter Obi seems to be showing the world. In his political life, he has moved to at least five parties. His movement has been indiscriminate – from left wing to right wing and in between. He also doesn’t seem to vet who he goes to bed with as long as he has the comfort of a roof over his head. Someone even joked that he might join NAF (Nigerian Air Force) thinking it is a political party. His political base seems comfortable with his movements and is inclined to follow him everywhere not minding who he is dining with.

It is not unusual with a ‘single issue’ political base where loyalties and allegiances can be blind and character flaws glossed over. But even at that, no political base should be taken for granted as ‘MAGA’ in the US is finding out. Some ‘Obidients’ might find it a bit confusing to be in ADC today and NDC tomorrow. In any case, political bases alone don’t win presidential elections. You need a critical mass of people coalescing over identifiable issues for that. These people don’t even have to be card carrying members of any party. They just need someone who stands for what they want, acting along with people who will not only deliver, but can be trusted. Changing political parties like daywear makes that appeal difficult in my opinion. Besides, it portrays a man who sees more of the goal (end) than the means to it and has adopted a Machiavellian approach. But there has to be a line in the sand for any man of principle. We must beware of growing small while trying to be great.

And this brings me to the connection between leadership and apprenticeship. A diligent apprentice usually makes a good leader because he can identify with the process. One reason heirs to family businesses don’t succeed is that many don’t serve apprenticeship – they go straight to the top. A leader who starts out as an apprentice is also likely to be more humane, more empathetic while being more confident of the process. He is able to reform the house without damaging the structure. But while a true leader must have empathy, I believe that he must not be swayed by sentiments.

Opinion polls are important and serve as a measure of responsive governance, but he must not be ruled by them. Leadership or governance should not be a popularity contest as tempting as that is. Unfortunately, democracy as it is practiced today, favors those who are glib and sweet tongued. A true leader must have the courage of his conviction in pursuing goals that have long term benefits for the people regardless of short term discomforts. He must therefore, be other-centered because when we focus on how we can serve others, then we are truly demonstrating our experience in apprenticeship. He must be accountable. He must trust and patronize the institutions under his administration. That means no foreign medical trips, no foreign education and no foreign banks for himself and family. He must communicate and not be emotionally distant from the people. He must not be divisive.

 Is there any true leader on the horizon for 2027 and beyond? Please let me know if you have found one. 

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