The Lekki Headmaster Summary

Last checked: 11 October 2026.

2027 status: JAMB has not announced whether The Lekki Headmaster stays as the Use of English reading text for the 2027 UTME. It was the text for the 2025 and 2026 UTME, after it replaced The Life Changer. Reading it now is a sensible start, but confirm on jamb.gov.ng once JAMB announces 2027 registration.

The Lekki Headmaster: Quick Facts

• Author: Kabir Alabi Garba, a Nigerian journalist and writer.
• Exam use: JAMB UTME Use of English reading text for 2025 and 2026.
• Main character: Mr. Bepo Adewale, the long-serving principal of Stardom Schools, a private school in Lekki, Lagos.
• Central subject: “japa”, the pressure on Nigerian professionals to leave the country.

Brief Summary of The Lekki Headmaster

Bepo Adewale has led Stardom Schools in Lekki, Lagos, for 24 years. He is devoted to the school and its students.

His wife, Seri, lives in the United Kingdom, and his family wants him to join her there. Bepo is caught between this push for a “better life” abroad and his love for teaching, his students and his country.

The novel uses his dilemma to look at why many Nigerian professionals emigrate, and at problems inside the school system, including corruption.

In the end, Bepo chooses to stay. He returns to his school, putting his students, his country and his work as a teacher ahead of migration.

His nickname, “The Lekki Headmaster”, is linked to the classic Nigerian TV drama Village Headmaster.

For the full list of characters, the themes and practice questions, read this detailed summary of The Lekki Headmaster.

Watch out for fake summaries. Some websites carry invented plots, with a different headmaster or a different school. If a summary does not mention Bepo Adewale and Stardom Schools, do not study from it. The novel itself is your safest source.

About the Author

Kabir Alabi Garba is a Nigerian journalist and writer. The Lekki Headmaster draws on everyday life in Nigerian schools and the wave of professionals moving abroad.

How to Prepare for Questions on the Novel

• Read the whole novel at least once, not just a summary.
• Know the main character well: Bepo’s job, his years at Stardom Schools, his nickname and his final decision.
• Link each theme (migration, integrity, problems in the school system) to a scene you remember.
• Note figures of speech and proverbs as you read.
• Test yourself with the free Lekki Headmaster CBT quiz (20 questions, 10 minutes).

Related: free JAMB past questions (PDF) · JAMB syllabus