In this post, we will be discussing the Analysis of The Life Changer JAMB Novel 2022 which consists of About the book, a comprehensive chapter by chapter summary, analysis of characters, and themes in the novel.
What is the novel The Life Changer all about?
About the book
The Life Changer novel which was written by Khadija Abubakar Jalli is a story that explores the realities of life in the Nigerian University, giving insight on topics such as dressing styles, individual behavior, dangers of social media, and other lessons for youths. The novel is didactic in nature, as it conveys practical lessons to youths who are about to join university life and those already in the University.
The novel The Life Changer is a narrative in which the character Ummi is the narrator. She is seen narrating stories to her children in an attempt to teach them about life on campus, especially her son Omar.
The story begins with Ummi’s youngest daughter Bint, as she narrates a story about her teacher to her sisters. As the story proceeds, Omar appears to have gained admission into the University to study law, and while the family waits for their father’s return, Ummi tells them a story of Salma and her exploits in the University. The novel ends with a practical lesson, and the family is seen still waiting for their dad.
Chapter by Chapter Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel 2022
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 1
Bint is the five-year-old, and the youngest child of Ummi is seen narrating a story about her teacher to her two sisters, Teemah and Jamilah. Bint makes fun of how her teacher pretends to know it all but is unable to answer her french question. Soon, Ummi, their mother barge in after listening to Bint’s story. She admonishes Bint and the others against pushing their teachers to the limit and for them to understand that no one knows it all.
While Ummi advised the girls, Omar rushes in announcing his admission into Ahmandu Bello University, Zaria, to study law.
Omar is the only son of the family, and he is 18 years old. Omar expresses his joy over his accomplishment and hopes to get a smartphone from his father, who had initially promised to gift him a smartphone if he is given admission.
The kids argue about who will tell their father about the good news, and Ummi proposes to tell the children a story about campus life as they wait for their father.
Mother and children sit outside drinking Zobo while Ummi narrates stories about University life and how this new phase will serve as a life-changer to Omar.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 2
Ummi kicks off with the story of her involvement with Salma Mohammed, the young lecturer that attended to her during her early admission phase.
On arriving at the venue to process her admission, Salma is frustrated and pissed about the delay, which seemed as though the officer deliberately wanted to delay the students. Salma expresses her anger and makes harsh comments about the lecturers, unknown to her, the screening officer is present.
The screening officer, who appeared to be a young man within the space as the students, steps into his office after it was cleaned. The students are shocked, and Salma is full of shame for having insulted the lecturer without the proper information.
Ummi’s encounter with the HOD leads to a misunderstanding. While processing her matric number, she meets with the HOD, who addresses her in a friendly and comfortable manner that leaves Ummi thinking that he is making advances at her.
However, on reaching home, Ummi related her experience with the HOD to her husband. Her husband laughs at her experience and tells Ummi that the HOD is his friend who had initially helped with her admission.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 3
Ummi’s misunderstanding with the HOD is cleared, and she is no longer angry with the HOD nor embarrassed about the incident.
Omar asks of the story of the quiet one, and Ummi proceeds to tell the story of Talle- the quiet one. Talle is called the quiet one because he spoke less after his mother died.
Talle worked as a local government driver, but on losing his parents, he soon started spending lavishly.
Hakim, the district head office of the Lafayette community, notices Talle’s luxurious lifestyle and invites him over to enquire about his sudden wealth.
Amidst this, the police interrupt, asking for Talle, who apparently is guilty of robbery and kidnapping alongside his accomplice Zaki. Talle is arrested, never to set foot in Lafayette again.
Ummi ends the story of the quiet one, as she admonishes Omar not to trust anyone or mingle with the bad association.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 4
Ummi continues the story about Salma.
While completing her registration, Salma proceeds to the 100 level coordinator, the coordinator who appears to be Dr.Dabo.
Dr. Dabo is described as noble and principled, however, on seeing Salma, who is dressed in a tight and revealing dress, he is immediately attracted to her and offers a hand of friendship to Salma. Salma rejects his advances and insults Dr. Dabo. Salma walks out of Dabo’s office angry, and Dr. Dabo regrets his action and is afraid to have his reputation ruined.
Salma later completes her hostel registration and is admitted into Queen Amina Hall, where she meets her new roommates.
At the initial encounter, Salma is displeased about her new roommates, Tomiwa, Ngozi, and Ada.
The author introduces Tomiwa, Ngozi, and Ada, and soon Salma gets to bond with her roommates. The four girls become close while forming a strong friendship.
Ummi narrates the story of how their friendship almost got ruined as two men named Habib and Labara approach Salma with a Black Benz. Salma accepts their hand of friendship.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 5
The story proceeds, and the next evening Tomiwa gets a phone call from Habib. It happened that Salma gave Habib Tomiwa’s number instead of hers. Tomiwa plays along with Habib, and she goes out to meet him.
Tomiwa finds out that Habib is a politician and that Labaran is Habib’s driver.
On realizing Tomiwa’s impersonation of Salma, Habib confronts Tomiwa, and she gets offended. Habib clears the misunderstanding, and things are cool between him and Tomiwa.
Habib lavished Tomiwa with cash and other goodies, which he directed her to share with her roommates.
Tomiwa is very pleased to receive these gifts and heads to the hostel after her meeting with Habib. On getting to her room, her roommates are happy about the gifts, and cash Tomiwa brought. Salma is filled with jealousy and insults Tomiwa, this leads to a quarrel, which was settled that same night.
Salma is desperate and ends up dating Labaran. She is disappointed to find that Labaran is just Habib’s driver.
The girls continue with their friendship, with their academic life running smoothly until something happens to Salma on the day of the final exam.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 6
The final exam is here as students prepare for their Moral Philosophy exams. Salma depends on past questions and is shocked on the day of the exam; the exam question appears different from the past question she studied.
Salma is unable to write anything and seeks help from Kolawole Abdul, who was seated close to her. Salm persuades Kola until he helps her. Kola gives Salma cheat notes, and she is caught using the notes. The invigilator gives Salma the Exam malpractice form to sign, with Kila and another student as witnesses.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 7
Salma seeks a solution to her problem and eventually meets Habib for help. Salma hopes Habib uses his influence to her out. Unfortunately, Habib suggested she ho to Dr. Dabo, whom she had insulted for help. Dr. Dabo is not an option for her, so Habib proposes to give her money to bribe the chairman of the malpractice committee. Habib asks for sex in exchange for the money, and Salma eventually gives in.
Salma meets with Dr. Mohammed Kabir, who, unfortunately for her, was only impersonating the real chairman. Salma gives Kabir a hundred thousand naira, only to later realize that she has been duped on the day of her trial.
In the end, Salma is expelled alongside Kolawole, whom she had mistakenly identified as her accomplice.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 8
Mohammed Kabir’s real identity is revealed. Apparently, he was a Laboratory Technologist at the University. Kabir is also a hardcore gambler.
Salma reports to Labara how Kabir deceived her, and Labara sends Zaki after Kabir.
Habib’s initial involvement with Zaki is revealed, and now Habib is no longer comfortable with Zaki because he had failed his previous mission.
Kabir is seen at a gambling joint, where he wins 300,000 nairas. He is sort after by a thug sent by one of the gambling groups. Kabir is attacked by the thug, he, in turn, was attacked by Zaki. Zaki collects all of Kabir’s money and keeps it for himself.
Omar questions how Justice prevailed since Habib was never punished. Ummi concludes the story about Habib’s exploit, and she is reminded of the death of Salma’s father and starts telling the story.
The argument between Ngozi and Tomiwa concerning why Muslims bury their dead early, while Christians delay burial sprout.
Later on, Teemah teases Omar about chasing girls with his phone, and Ummi recounts the experience Salim once had while using social media.
Summary of The Life Changer Jamb Novel Chapter 9
Salim is described as the guy whom Salma dated later on.
Salim got a new Samsung phone and started chatting with girls on social media(Facebook).
Salim asks Lawal, his friend, to follow him to meet his Facebook friend, and he refuses. Salim goes alone only to come back disappointed, as the girl looked different from her picture.
Salim narrates his experience to Lawal, who laughs at him. Lawal then recounts his experience with online dating, narrating how his car was almost hijacked by some prostitute he met online.
In the end, Salim agrees to stop online dating and soon engages Salma.
The novel ends with Ummi suggesting they all tell their father about Omar’s admission together, and they all wait for their father’s return.
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Characters in The Life Changer Jamb Novel
The characters in The Life Changer include:
Bint
Ummi
Omar
Salma
Tomiwa
Ngozi
Ada
Habib
Labaran
Mohammed Kabir
Dr Dabo
Jamilah
Teemah
Talle
Lawal
Salim
Zaki
Kolawole Abdul
Hakimi
Gumusu
Kartagi
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Who is Bint in The Life Changer Novel?
Bint is a five-year-old girl. She is the last child of the Ahmed family. She is brilliant and bold. She seems quite inquisitive too. At the beginning of the story, we notice that she is bold even in class. She answers her teacher’s question and asks her a difficult question in return. She embarrassed her teacher as her teacher Mallam Salihu couldn’t answer her french question.
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Who is Ummi in The Life Changer Novel?
Ummi is the narrator of the story. She is the mother of four: Omar, Bint, Teemah, and Jamilah, and the wife of Mr. Ahmed. Ummi is a teacher and a good mother. She tries to teach her children lessons about life by telling them stories. Ummi pays close attention to her children and requires them to be conscious of her presence.
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Who is Omar in The Life Changer Novel?
Omar is the only son and eldest child of Ahmed’s family. He is 18 years old. He got admitted into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to study law. He is anxious to tell his father about his accomplishments, so he can get a smartphone. He listened diligently to his mother’s story about campus life and got excited to go to the University.
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100 Likely Questions And Answers On The Life Changer JAMB Novel
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Who is Salma in The Life Changer Novel?
Salma is the main character of the novel. Most of Ummi’s story revolves around her. She is fair in complexion and dresses eloquently. Salma is from the North and is a Muslim. She is the roommate of Ada, Ngozi, and Tomiwa. She is beautiful and keeps herself at a high standard but can do almost anything out of desperation. She lost her dad while in University. She had good grades in school but was later expelled for engaging in exam malpractice.
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Who is Tomiwa in The Life Changer Novel?
Tomiwa is the friend and roommate of Salma, Ada, and Ngozi. She is from Ibadan and is a Muslim. She is described as the brightest and cleanest amongst her three roommates. Tomiwa is interested in the entertainment industry and hopes to become a singer later in life. Tomiwa is known to carry herself high. She gets involved with Habib and later dates him.
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Who is Ngozi in The Life Changer Novel?
Ngozi stays in Queen Amina Hall hostel in the same room with Salma, Ada, and Tomiwa. She is from Umuenze, Imo State. Ngozi is described as quiet and reserved. She is quite generous and a good cook. She never cooks for herself alone, she always shares with her roommates. She explains to Tomiwa why her people delay the burial of the dead, as she insists that her people delay the burial to allow the bereaved family to pay their last respect and to be sure that they are not burying the person alife.
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Who is Ada in The Life Changer Novel?
Ada is from Benue states, though some people insist on calling her place middle belt. She also stays at Queen Amina Hall.
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Who is Habib in The Life Changer Novel?
Habib is a politician. He is the owner of the black Benz, which they drove to the university campus where he and Labaran met Salma. Habib spends on Tomiwa and soon has Tomiwa as his girlfriend. Habib is an unfaithful person and plays dirty games. When Salma seeks his help, he asks for sex in exchange for the money he gave to her.
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Who is Labaran in The Life Changer Novel?
Labaran is the friend and driver of Habib. He is Habib’s childhood friend, who choose driving lessons over a university education. Labaran supports his friend Habib in politics. He also worked in the local government as a driver. He later becomes Salma’s boyfriend. He gets revenge for his girlfriend Salma, as he sends Zaki to beat up Kabir. He is involved in unpure activities, as he once collaborated with Zaki in a kidnapping case.
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Who is Mohammed Kabir in The Life Changer Novel?
Mohammed Kabir is the man that duped Salma of her 100,000 naira. He posed as the chairman of the Exam malpractice committee and deceived Salma into paying him. Kabir is the University Technologist, acting as the chairman of the Exam Malpractice committee. Kabir is a hardcore gambler who gambles away his money and rarely wins.
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Who is Dr. Dabo in The Life Changer Novel?
Dr. Dabo is a lecturer and a disciplined man. He has a good reputation and has a record of treating his students justly. He is never late for lectures and has a rule that states, “Do not come in after me”. Dr. Dabo’s encounter with Salma gets complicated, Salma insults him for trying to make advances at her. Dr. Dabo is a prominent lecturer, that’s why when Salma was in trouble, Habib suggested she go to Dr. Dabo.
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Who is Jamilah in The Life Changer Novel?
Jamilah is the third child and second daughter of the Ahmed family.
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Who is Teemah in The Life Changer Novel?
Teemah is the second child and first daughter of Ummi. She seems to always tackle her brother Omar.
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Who is Talle in The Life Changer Novel?
Talle is from Lafayette. He is an orphan whose mom died shortly after his birth, and his father and stepmother died in a car accident. He is called the ‘quiet one’ because of how quiet he was after his mom died. Talle got involved in a Kidnapping case with Zaki. He is later arrested, never to set foot at Lafayette again.
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Who is Lawal in The Life Changer Novel?
Lawal is Salim’s friend, who refused to accompany him to see his Facebook friend.
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Who is Salim in The Life Changer Novel?
Salim is the person that later engaged Salma. He had a bad experience with online dating.
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Who is Zaki in The Life Changer Novel?
Zaki is the person that involved Talle in the kidnapping case. He is a thug who was sent by Labaran to beat up Kabir.
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Who is Kolawole Abdul in The Life Changer Novel?
Kolawole is described as one of the brightest students in school. He is Salma’s course who got expelled for assisting Salma with cheat notes in the exam hall.
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Who is Hakimi in The Life Changer Novel?
Hakimi is the district head of the Lafayette community.
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Who is Gumusu in The Life Changer Novel?
Gumusu is the thug that was sent by Kartagi to beat up Kabir.
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Who is Kartagi in The Life Changer Novel?
Kartagi is the head of the gambling gang who sent a thug after Kabir for winning 300,000 naira.
Themes in The Life Changer Jamb Novel by Khadija Abubakar Jalli
Before we look at the themes in The Life Changer, lets first look at the definition of theme.
What is theme?
Theme refers to the main idea or message the author is trying to pass on to the audience. It refers to the central idea a literal piece intends to portray.
Khadija Abubakar, in her novel The Life Changer, portrays several themes in her work, but we will consider four (4) themes:
- Theme of University as a Life Changer
- Bad association and its effect
- Parental Responsibility
- The Evil of Social Media or The Use of Social Media
Theme of University as a Life Changer
The title “The Life Changer” is illustrated in the idea of the University as an instrument of change. The entire story is based on Ummi’s narrative of life at the University. Her story is an attempt to explain to Omar and her other children how the University can actually change one’s life, positively or negatively.
Ummi starts with the issue of freedom of dressing. She explains how the University is a place of absolute freedom, especially freedom of dressing. She portrays how Salma wears tight and revealing dresses. This kind of freedom can entice one into making undesirable decisions or attract the wrong association. When one enters the University and meets with this kind of freedom, the person can change from dressing decently to dressing in a rather wayward manner. Thus the University is a free ground that could infuse a good or negative change.
The issue of association is also portrayed in Ummi’s story about Talle’s involvement with Zaki. The University is a place where all kinds of people with different beliefs and behaviour come together, and as such, the wrong association can change one for the worst and a good association for the better.
The example of how Salma was expelled from school because of her engagement in exam malpractice serves as another practical lesson to students. Salma’s expulsion has already left a dent in her life, as she has to start all over again if she is still interested in education. If she had made a different decision, she might not have met such an unimpressive end.
The theme of Bad Association and Its Effect
Ummi emphasises the issue of bad association as she narrates the story of Talle, “the quiet one”. Talle had initially been quiet and good until his involvement with Zaki. Zaki gets him involved in Kidnapping, and he (Talle) enjoys the benefit, which is having enough money to spend lavishly. Talle is corrupted as a result of his association with Zaki, and what is the result? Talle is arrested, never to set foot in his hometown again.
Ummi teaches Omar never to trust anyone of joining a bad association. In extension, the author speaks to us about the dangers of bad association, as an association is one major influence in one’s life, especially youths.
The theme of Parental Responsibility
The upbringing of a child is the major responsibility of a parent. If parents neglect their children and fail to bring them up in the right way, the child is bound to learn outside, which might be the wrong lessons. The author of the novel ‘The Life Changer’ successfully portrays the importance of good parenting, as Ummi represent good parenthood.
First, at the beginning of the novel, Ummi displays concern over her children’s need to be clean at all times. She wants them to be conscious of her presence and to maintain good hygiene. This reflects good parenthood, as every good parent will encourage cleanliness.
Ummi is also seen correcting her youngest child, Bint, not to make fun of her teacher. She teaches her no one knows it all. This teaching will go a long way to help Bint see that nobody is perfect. If, however, Ummi had failed to correct her, she might grow up expecting perfection from others.
Another notable evidence of good parenting is how Ummi makes out time to tell her children stories about university life. Ummi is concerned, as Omar got admitted into the University, and as such found it necessary to teach Omar what to expect, as well as what to avoid. Ummi teaches Omar lessons on the bad association, exam malpractice, freedom of dressing and the bad use of social media. All these basic lessons will help Omar begin a new life as an undergraduate.
The theme of The Use of Social Media
This theme is a minor one, but at the same time important. Ummi’s last story centres on how Salim got deceived by a girl he was dating online. Salim dares a girl named Natasha online, and when he finally gets to meet her, she is different from her pictures. Ummi uses this story to illustrate that social media can be really deceiving, admonishing Omar to be careful of social media.
We’ve already discussed the Analysis of The Life Changer JAMB Novel 2022, which consists of About the book, a comprehensive chapter by chapter summary, analysis of characters, and themes in the novel, in this post and also posted in our previous post 100 Likely Questions and Answers from The Life Changer Jamb Novel.
If you’ve gone through both posts and read them voraciously, you are sure of Acing every aspect of The Life Changer Jamb Novel.
