What special skills of Ikemefuna make him popular with Nwoye in Things Fall Apart?

Ikemefuna knows "an endless stock of folk tales," and is able to tell them "with a new freshness and the local flavor of a different clan." Nwoye, who loves to listen to stories, is particularly impressed with this skill of Ikemefuna, and remembers the time spent listening to his adopted brother for the rest of his life.

Ikemefuna is two years older than Nwoye, and has a lively and intelligent persona. Ikemefuna fills a void in the younger boy's life, mesmerizing him with his knowledge of the world and his ability to identify wildlife and other elements of the world around them. Ikemefuna knows how to make a flute, and can find the trees that will make the best bows. Best of all, he is an animated storyteller, and he accepts Nwoye unconditionally. Because of Ikemefuna's influence, Nwoye blossoms in a way he never does under the judgemental eye of his father. The younger boy develops the confidence to participate more frequently in the gatherings of the men of the tribe. This has the effect of alleviating the rift that exists between Nwoye and his father, at least for a time.