The Life Changer: summary for JAMB

About the novel

The Life Changer is a short novel by Khadija Abubakar Jalli. It was her first book. JAMB used it as the Use of English novel for UTME 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The book has 9 chapters. The chapters have numbers only, no titles.

The story is told by Ummi, a mother and a teacher. She tells it in the first person ("I").

One afternoon, Ummi and her four children sit under the mango tree in their compound in Lafayette, waiting for their father (Daddy) to come home from work. Omar, the eldest, has just been admitted to study Law at ABU Zaria. To prepare him for university life, Ummi tells stories from her own time at university. The main story is about Salma, a beautiful but proud girl whose love of money and short cuts ruined her.

The book ends where it began: the family is still sitting under the tree, waiting for Daddy.

The big message: getting into university can change your life, but the friends you keep and the choices you make decide whether the change is good or bad.

Chapter 1

The four children are laughing in their room while they wait for Daddy. Ummi stands at the door and listens.

Bint, the last child (5 years old), is telling her sisters about her Social Studies teacher, Mallam Salihu. He likes to act as if he knows every subject. French is an optional subject in Bint's school. When Mallam Salihu asked how to say "Good morning" in French, only Bint knew: "Bonjour". Then Bint asked him how to say "that's very good" in French. He could not answer, so he ran out and brought the French teacher of the senior classes. The class cheered Bint.

Ummi walks in. She often enters the children's room without knocking, to check that they keep the room clean and to keep them company. She tells them it was good that Mallam Salihu admitted he did not know.

Omar, the eldest and only son (18), rushes in with good news: he has been admitted to study Law at ABU Zaria. He passed WAEC with 7 credits, including English and Mathematics, at one sitting, and scored 230 in JAMB. He checked his admission at a cyber café because he does not have a smartphone. Daddy always wanted to study Law but read Accounting, so this is Daddy's dream too.

Omar wants to be called "My Learned Brother". His sister Teemah teases him: "Just call yourself Omar Esquire." Omar begs that nobody tells Daddy before him, because Daddy promised him a smartphone.

There is no light (no electricity for two days), so the family moves outside to sit under the mango tree. Ummi pays for zobo for everyone.

Ummi tells Omar that his admission is a "life changer". It will not only change his life; it will change him. Omar asks how her own admission changed her, and the stories begin.

Chapter 2

Ummi goes back more than twenty years, to when she got admission. Her father agreed she could go to university on one condition: she must marry before she graduated. Her husband married her even before she registered, so the family had a double celebration.

On her first day, Ummi stood in a long queue at the faculty registration office. A tall, fair, beautiful girl in tight clothes and dark sunglasses joined the queue late. This was Salma.

Salma complained loudly about lecturers. She said lecturers are like policemen at checkpoints: they ask boys for money and girls for dates. Her motto was "Money moves mountains." A polite young man in the queue kept questioning her. Then a cleaner named John came out of the office and handed the key to that young man. He was the lecturer in charge! The queue was slow only because John was still cleaning the office. Salma was put to shame. She gave her name as Salma Mohammed.

Later, Ummi went to her Head of Department, Dr Samuel Johnson. He was young, with tribal marks, and wore a cross. When he offered her a drink and praised her modest dress, Ummi felt uneasy and thought he was making a pass at her. She made an excuse and left quickly. He gave her the matric number UG0001, the first number, hoping she would be first in everything.

At home, her husband laughed. Dr Samuel Johnson (whom he calls "Dr Samjohn") was his friend, a Yoruba man, and the one who helped Ummi get her admission. Ummi had judged him wrongly.

Chapter 3

Ummi asks her husband to apologise to Dr Samjohn for her. The HOD greets her warmly afterwards, as if nothing happened.

Then Ummi tells a story her husband told her: the story of "the quiet one", Talle. She tells it to teach Omar two things: do not judge people by how they look, and do not trust people easily.

In Lafayette, no stranger can stay in the community without the knowledge of the Hakimi (the District Head). Talle was a quiet, prayerful young man. His mother died soon after he was born. When he was about 20, his father and stepmother died in a car accident. He worked as a driver at the Local Government office, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

People noticed that Talle suddenly started buying double the food he normally bought. The trader reported this to the Hakimi, who questioned him. Before long, three police vans arrived. The police brought in Zaki, a criminal, in chains. Talle fainted twice and blamed Zaki for everything.

The police found a boy of about 13 in Talle's house. Zaki and Talle had kidnapped the son of a rich businessman in town and kept him for one week. They asked for ₦1 million as ransom, then reduced it to ₦250,000. Zaki was caught while collecting the money. Talle and the others were jailed for kidnapping and extortion.

Ummi warns Omar to avoid bad company, especially cultists and students who cheat in exams (exam malpractice, EMAL). She adds that she later became friends with Salma, and that exam malpractice drove Salma out of the university.

Chapter 4

Salma, about 20, goes to Dr Dabo, the 100 Level Coordinator, to sign her forms. Dr Dabo has worked at the university for more than ten years. He is very disciplined and punctual; his rule in class is "Don't come in after me."

But on seeing Salma, he loses his calm. He tells her he wants to know her "more intimately". Salma refuses him with contempt: he is old enough to be her father. Dr Dabo apologises and prays she will not report him.

Salma is given a room in Queen Amina Hall, four girls to a room. At first she does not like the mix, but the four become close:

• Salma: from the North, a Muslim.
• Tomiwa: from Ibadan, Oyo State, a Muslim. The brightest and neatest of them; she wants to be a singer.
• Ngozi: from Umunze (the novel says Imo State), a Christian. Quiet and very generous; she never cooks for herself alone.
• Ada: from Benue State, a Christian. She insists on being called "Middle Belt".

Food brings them together: Indomie jollof, snail ("food for the kings", says Tomiwa), and danwake, a Hausa dish Salma makes with baobab leaves. Salma jokes about rat, which is eaten by Ada's people.

One night at about 8 p.m., two men in a black Mercedes Benz offer Salma a ride at Kwangila. The driver, Labaran, does all the talking. Salma thinks the quiet one, Habib, owns the car. When they drop her at the hostel, she gives them Tomiwa's name and phone number instead of her own.

Chapter 5

The next evening, Habib calls Tomiwa and asks her out. Tomiwa is beautiful, stylish and very confident. She has read The Godfather, so she refuses to sit in front with a man behind her; she makes Labaran move to the front.

They go to Frizzlers, near a suya spot the students call the "Faculty of Suya". Labaran calls Habib "Honourable", so Tomiwa knows Habib is the boss. Habib can tell she is not the girl from the night before, and Tomiwa admits the number swap. She says she does not trust politicians.

Habib gives her ₦50,000 in ₦500 notes: ₦10,000 for each roommate and ₦20,000 for Tomiwa. He also buys them food items that will last the semester. Tomiwa starts calling him "Alhaji".

Back in the room, Salma is jealous. She calls Tomiwa a chameleon. A quarrel starts, but a knock on the door makes them all go quiet. They switch off the light, share the food by phone torchlight, and are friends again. Ngozi warns that men always want their "pound of flesh" in return.

Salma then dates Labaran, only to discover he is just the driver. Habib and Labaran are childhood friends. Habib went to university and became a politician; Labaran went to a driving school. When Habib became a member of the State House of Assembly, he made Labaran his driver.

Years pass. The four girls stay roommates to the end. In their final year they are B students heading for Second Class Upper. Their last paper is Moral Philosophy, a general course everyone must take.

Chapter 6

Everyone thinks Moral Philosophy is the easiest course. Salma never attended the classes. For about three years the lecturer had repeated the same questions, so the girls only read the past questions.

On exam day, Salma dresses as if for a party. She arrives early and is searched. But none of the expected questions come out.

Kolawole Abdul (Kola), the brightest student, sits next to her. Salma begs him for help, and he passes her coded answers to the first two questions. The invigilator, Dr Amina, a woman who already dislikes Salma's showy dress, walks out of the hall as a test, comes back and stands behind her. She catches Salma copying from cheat notes, which students call "Notes of Salvation".

A security man brings the exam malpractice (EMAL) form. Salma says she is innocent but signs it. Kola signs as a witness, glad that nobody saw him pass the note.

Salma is in her final semester of 400 Level. She is taken to the new HOD, who sends the case straight to the Examination Malpractice and Ethics Committee (EMEC).

Ummi tells the children what happened in the end: at the committee, Salma named Kola as the one who gave her the notes, and both of them were expelled. Her lesson: rules are rules.

Chapter 7

Salma receives a letter to appear before the Examination Malpractice and Ethics Committee in one week. She is desperate. With Tomiwa's support, she goes to Habib through Labaran.

Habib's nameplate reads HABIB LAWAL, SPEAKER. He is now the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. Salma regrets giving him a fake number years ago.

Habib says the only person he knows who can help is Professor Dabo. Salma refuses, because of what happened with Dr Dabo in her first year. She says the committee chairman loves money and can be bribed with ₦200,000 to ₦300,000. Habib secretly locks the door and agrees to give her the money only if she sleeps with him. She gives in.

A man who says he is on the committee takes Salma to meet the "chairman" at a hotel far from school. She refuses to sleep with him, but pays him ₦100,000. He says his name is "Dr Kabir. Mohammed Kabir."

On the day of the hearing, neither Dr Kabir nor his go-between is on the committee. Salma realises she has been cheated and starts crying. In her confusion she names Kolawole Abdul as the one who gave her the notes. She swears that Kabir will pay for what he did.

Chapter 8

"Dr" Kabir is not a doctor at all. "Doctor" was only his nickname from secondary school. He is a laboratory technologist at the university. Everybody likes him, but he loves easy money and he is a gambler.

Labaran finds out who Kabir is and hires Zaki, the same criminal from Talle's story, to deal with him. Here the stories connect: through Habib's own thoughts, we learn that Habib was the one who sent Zaki to kidnap the son of a businessman, Alhaji Adamu. Zaki spoiled the job by using Talle, an inexperienced villager. Habib paid a lot of money to cover it up.

One night Kabir wins ₦300,000 at a gambling house and leaves while he is still winning. The gang leader, Kartagi, sends a thug, Gumuzu, after him. In a dark alley, Zaki fights off the thug, then beats and robs Kabir, telling him it is for Salma. Labaran gives Zaki ₦50,000 and quietly keeps the rest without telling Habib.

Omar says there is no justice on earth. Ummi jokes that justice is "just ice", but says there is justice with God.

Then sad news: Salma's father dies. When she comes back to the hostel, Ngozi and Tomiwa argue about why some people bury their dead quickly. Tomiwa explains the Muslim way; Ngozi explains why her people wait. When they see Salma crying, they stop, apologise and comfort her. After her father's death, Salma changes and becomes serious and decent. A man named Salim asks to marry her.

Chapter 9

Ummi tells the story of Salim, Salma's fiancé. Salim buys his first smartphone, a Samsung Note, and joins Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Badoo, 2Go, WeChat and dating apps.

He tells his friend Lawal about a beautiful girl he met online. Lawal refuses to go with him to meet her. When Salim meets the girl, she looks nothing like her profile picture; she had used someone else's photo. Lawal laughs and warns him about online scams: people asking for recharge cards and money, fake funerals, men pretending to be girls, and even kidnapping.

Then Salim confesses something worse that happened a month before. A girl called Natasha, with many sexy photos, invited him to her house at night, between 8 and 9 p.m. He drove his father's SUV into a dark dead-end street. Two armed robbers, a gunman and a man called Roger, jumped into the car. Natasha was the bait. The robbers could not drive the automatic car, so they forced Salim to drive. He sped off, and when he looked back, the robbers and Natasha had jumped out and disappeared. He never reported it to the police.

Salim promises to be careful, and soon after he gets engaged to Salma.

Ummi tells Omar he deserves the smartphone, but he must be careful with social media. The family plans to shout the good news together when Daddy walks in. The book ends with them still under the mango tree, waiting for Daddy.

Main characters

• Ummi: the narrator. A teacher and mother of four. Wise and funny; she teaches through stories. Her name means "my mother" in Arabic.
• Omar: the eldest child and only son, 18. Admitted to study Law at ABU Zaria. Likes to show off ("My Learned Brother").
• Teemah: the second child and first daughter. Witty; she loves to tease Omar ("Omar Esquire").
• Jamila: the third child.
• Bint: the last child, 5. Clever; she beat her teacher in French.
• Daddy: Ummi's husband, a banker. He studied Accounting but always wanted to study Law. He never appears; the family waits for him all through the book.
• Salma Mohammed: the main figure in Ummi's stories. Beautiful, proud and rude. She believes "money moves mountains". She is expelled for exam malpractice, but changes after her father dies.
• Tomiwa: Salma's roommate from Ibadan. Brilliant, confident, wants to be a singer. She dates Habib.
• Ngozi: Salma's roommate. Quiet and very generous.
• Ada: Salma's roommate from Benue ("Middle Belt"). The peacemaker.
• Habib Lawal: a politician who becomes Speaker of the State House of Assembly. Quiet but dangerous; he is behind the kidnapping in Talle's story.
• Labaran: Habib's childhood friend and driver. Talkative and greedy.
• Dr Samuel Johnson ("Dr Samjohn"): Ummi's HOD. Kind, but Ummi misjudged him.
• Dr Dabo: the 100 Level Coordinator. Strict, but makes one shameful advance at Salma.
• Kolawole Abdul (Kola): the bright student who helps Salma cheat. Both are expelled.
• Dr Amina: the invigilator who catches Salma.
• "Dr" Kabir (Mohammed Kabir): a laboratory technologist and gambler who pretends to be the committee chairman and takes Salma's ₦100,000.
• Talle, "the quiet one": a quiet driver from Lafayette who joins Zaki in a kidnapping.
• Zaki: a criminal for hire, used by Habib.
• The Hakimi: the District Head of Lafayette.
• Salim: Salma's fiancé, who learns hard lessons about social media.
• Lawal: Salim's sensible friend.
• Natasha: the girl used as bait by armed robbers.

Themes and lessons

• Admission as a life changer: university can change a person, not just their future.
• Exam malpractice: Salma and Kola lose everything because of cheating. Rules are rules.
• Corruption and bribery: Salma's "money moves mountains", Habib's money, the fake chairman, the police and the cover-up.
• Appearances can deceive: the young lecturer in the queue, Dr Samjohn, quiet Talle, "Dr" Kabir and the girls online are not what they seemed.
• Bad company and trust: Talle is ruined by Zaki. Choose friends carefully and trust people slowly.
• Sexual harassment and "pound of flesh": Dr Dabo's advance and Habib's price show how some men use money and power.
• Pride and humility: Salma's pride brings shame; Mallam Salihu's honesty earns respect.
• Friendship across tribes and religions: four girls from the North, West, East and Middle Belt become like sisters.
• Dangers of social media: Salim's online dates show how phones can lead to danger.
• Change is possible: Salma becomes a better person after her loss.

Style: simple, everyday English with a lot of dialogue and humour. Stories are told inside a story (Ummi tells Salim's story, which Salim told Lawal). The book opens and closes with the family waiting for Daddy.

Quick facts for JAMB

• Author: Khadija Abubakar Jalli.
• Number of chapters: 9.
• Narrator: Ummi, in the first person.
• Setting: Lafayette (home) and ABU Zaria (university).
• Ummi means "my mother" in Arabic.
• The four children in order: Omar, Teemah, Jamila, Bint.
• Omar's JAMB score: 230. WAEC: 7 credits at one sitting. Course: Law at ABU Zaria.
• "Just call yourself Omar Esquire" was said by Teemah.
• Bint's teacher: Mallam Salihu. The French answer: "Bonjour".
• Daddy's course: Accounting (he wanted Law).
• Salma's motto: "Money moves mountains."
• The cleaner who caused the delay: John.
• Ummi's matric number: UG0001. Her HOD: Dr Samuel Johnson ("Samjohn").
• "The quiet one": Talle, a Local Government driver.
• The ransom: ₦1 million, reduced to ₦250,000.
• The hostel: Queen Amina Hall, 4 girls per room.
• Dr Dabo's rule: "Don't come in after me."
• Habib's gift to Tomiwa: ₦50,000 in ₦500 notes.
• Salma called Tomiwa a chameleon.
• The last paper: Moral Philosophy. Cheat notes: "Notes of Salvation".
• The invigilator: Dr Amina. The student who helped Salma: Kolawole Abdul.
• EMAL: exam malpractice. EMEC: Examination Malpractice and Ethics Committee.
• Habib's position: Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
• Salma paid "Dr" Kabir ₦100,000. Kabir is a laboratory technologist.
• Kabir won ₦300,000 at gambling.
• Salma's fiancé: Salim. His friend: Lawal. The bait: Natasha.
• The book ends with the family still waiting for Daddy.