Jamb novel “The life changer”(chapter to chapter summary)

About the author:

Khadija Abubakar Jalli holds a Bachelor of Science(Mathematics) Education degree. she is an entrepreneur and the CEO of the She’s Boutique Afrique. She is happily married with children.

1. The Life Changer-Chapter one summary:

Bint, a five years old girl and also the darling of the Ahmed family narrates her encounter with her importunate social studies teacher; Mallam Salihu who often believes he knows every little bit about every subject to her siblings. He was however somewhat ridiculed when Bint answered his question on how to say “good morning” in French and asked him to say “that is very good” in French. Mallam Salihu’s inability to interpret “that is very good” in French causes him to leave Bint’s class and never returned until after break time. While she and her siblings were giggling about her story, their mother barges into their room to join their conversation. She then encourages them not to mock Mallam Salihu but celebrate his humility to accept his cluelessness by seeking the French mistress assistance to answer Bint’s question.

Omar’s arrival with the news of his admission into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Law changed their conversation to a more torrent flow of thoughts on life issues that concerns Ummi’s children, especially to Omar who had just gained admission to study Law.

2. The Life Changer-Chapter two:

This chapter recounts how Ummi who gained admission into the university has agreed to her father’s condition to be married before graduation. But her husband decided to marry her even before she proceeded to university. She recounts how she met Salma and how she embarrassed herself for saying spiteful things about the University official at the faculty registration office. Ummi’s displayed an unwelcomed gesture towards Dr. Samuel Johnson’s hospitality when she visited his office to get her matriculation number. She later learned from her husband that Dr. Samuel Johnson was a good friend of his and the one who help him to sort her admission out at the University. Ummi felt bad and request that her husband visit Dr. Samuel Johnson to tender an apology on her behalf.

3. The Life Changer-Chapter three

Ummi tells the tales of the ‘quiet one’ to admonish her children especially Omar, her first child, and the only son who had just gained admission into the university. Talle is born and bred in Lafayette. The circumstances that surround his birth were known by members of the community. Talle lost his mother shortly after his birth and he was barely twenty years old before he lost his father and stepmom in a ghastly car accident. This incident compounded his state that he withdrew completely to himself. Talle became so lonely that he dedicated his zeal to his work at the local government office where he served as a driver. But one day, things took a dramatic twist for him as people in the grocery store where he gets foodstuffs noticed that his purchasing capability has increased from the normal. Knowing that he has no one that stays with made the grocer calls the attention of the District head, Hakimi, that Talle now buys more than he can consume in a week in days. Hakimi summoned Talle to the palace for some questioning.

However, Talle’s inability to answer a simple question gave him away. While this was happening at Hakimi’s palace, the police arrived accompanied by military escorts. They told Hakimi that Talle, one of his subjects is involved in kidnapping, armed robbery and extortion. Talle was arrested and he taken by the police to his house where he hid his victim. He and Zaki were sentenced to some years of imprisonment with hard work.

4. The Life Changer-Chapter Four

This chapter recounts Salma’s story of how she got into the university when she was barely twenty years of age. Her encounter with Dr. Dabo who is the 100 level coordinator at that time is significant to this chapter.

Dr. Dabo is a very disciplined lecturer and he has never engaged himself in any form of underhandedness with any female student. He has a track record of treating his students Justly. He is never late for lectures and his lecture rule is simple” Don’t come in after me”. But as Salma appeared radiantly gorgeous to his office he threw caution away and didn’t know when he requests that she should befriend him intimately. Salma rejects his request immediately and this made him feel so bad that he repented and vow never to lose guard again. Salma got the most famous Queen Amina Hall. At first, she didn’t like her roommates; Tomiwa, Ngozi and Ada. She hates the idea that she could not choose whom to be her roommate but later got along faultlessly with them that they lived like sisters. Salma met Habib and Labaran at Kwangila one evening when she was returning back from home. They offer to give her a ride to the school campus and when they dropped her off, Salma told them her name is Tomiwa and also gave them Tomiwa’s number.

5. The Life Changer-Chapter Five

The next day at 8 pm, Habib called Tomiwa to inform her that they are parked in front of her hostel and requests that she comes out so they can hang out. Tomiwa decided to feed her curiosity as she stepped out of her hostel to meet Habib. However, Habib was smart enough to know that Tomiwa was not the lady he gave a ride to the previous night. Tomiwa confirmed his guesses and realize that Salma gave them Tomiwa’s contact. Habib sent Labaran to get some provision and Suya for them to eat and also gave fifty thousand naira to her and asked her to give her roommate Ten thousand naira each while she keeps the remaining twenty thousand naira. Tomiwa was wowed and when she returned to the hostel with the money and a lot of goodies. She and her roommate began to ululate and scream for joy as they savored the chicken Suya she brought. Salma became slightly jealous that almost degenerated into a rift between her and Tomiwa but for Ada and Ngozi’s intervention, the matter soon became a
forgotten issue.

Habib and Labaran are childhood friends. While Habib chose education, Labaran decided to go to a driving school and being a good friend, he sometimes supports Habib with some little fund from his earnings as a driver at the local government. But when Habib became a politician he appointed his friend as his driver to pay back his sometimes support in the past.

6. The Life Changer-Chapter Six

School routine had resumed and the girls are in their final year. It is very interesting to note that despite the four girls involvement with men, they never allow their studies to suffer for it. They are at the top of their game such that they are all working towards graduating with a second class upper degree even though they are studying different courses. Unfortunately for Salma, Moral philosophy which is one of the easiest course to pass happens to be a difficult course for her. She, like other students didn’t attend classes for this course since it is a general course. However, she attends the tutorial a day before the exam because for some years the lecturer in charge of the course has been foolishly repeating questions with minimal changes so Salma studied the past paper and went in for an exam. To her ruin, when questions were served by the invigilator, Salma realized that she was the only one not writing because the lecturer had cut short her expectations. After a while, she began to badger the person who seated next to her, Kolawole Abdul for assistance. He resisted for a while but later conceded and scribble some code response to the first two questions. But as Salma was busy copying from the notes of salvation, the female invigilator was amazed at her sudden inspiration to write after she had stayed more than thirty minutes without writing. She quietly walked behind her and saw where she was writing from for some minutes before she called her attention and that of the security man outside the hall. Salma was compelled to sign the exam malpractice form and Kola and the next female student sitting next to on the other side were made to sign as witnesses. Sadly for Kola, Salma implicated him when she was summoned to the panel and he was also expelled from the school.

7. The Life Changer-Chapter Seven

This chapter recounts how Salma confided in her friend, Tomiwa, how she thinks appealing to Labaran to talk to Honorable Habib could influence anyone that matters to help her overcome her predicament. Unfortunately for her, the only influential person he knows that could help is Professor Dabo.

Salma felt so helpless when she realized that the same Professor Dabo she insulted in her l00level when he requested to be his girlfriend is the only one that can help. She immediately and desperately pleaded that honorable Habib give her some money to bribe the chairman of EMEC who she described could sell his mother’s soul for money. Honorable Habib agreed to give her some money but requests that she gives him something in return. She yielded right in his office. After she got the money from Habib, she prepared to meet with the Chairman of the EMEC in a hotel and gave only one hundred thousand naira to one Dr. Mohammed Kabir as the Chairman of EMEC. She later discovered at the panel that she had been swindled by Dr. Kabir who is an impostor. He is not even a lecturer at the University let alone the chairman of the EMEC.

8. The Life Changer-Chapter Eight

This chapter shows how Dr. Mohammad Kabir got the appellation of a Doctor. It was a nickname given to him from secondary school. He was employed at the university as an L.T Laboratory Technician but his friendliness got him recognition with everyone that mattered at the University.

After Salma cried to Labaran and narrated her ordeal of how she was bamboozled by an impostor. Labaran then engaged the service of Zaki to trail Mohammad Kabir and recovered a sum of three hundred thousand naira from him just after he had a big win from gambling with the money he collected from Salma.

9. The Life Changer-Chapter Nine

In chapter nine, Ummi recounts Salim, Salma’s fiancé’s experience with the use of smartphones. A terrible experience that almost claimed his life. He met a girl named Natasha on one social media platform. The day they’ve planned to meet physically turn out to be a horrendous event. Salim agreed to visit her around right to nine in the evening since she claimed she would not be allowed to go out in the afternoon.
However, the turnout of their meeting made Salim realized that Natasha was bait used by kidnappers and armed robbers. He escaped the set trap by Natasha and her gangs divinely.

Source: lasu info.com