JAMB 2024: How to check your exam date, centre and time 
For over a decade now, starting with the first novel, ‘Last Days At Forcados High School,’ the examination body has been recommending novels for UTME candidates. This year’s novel is The Life Changer, written by Khadija A. Jalli.
All 2024 candidates sitting for UTME will be tested on this book irrespective of the course they applied for. It is worth noting that about 15 to 35 questions in the use of English are likely to come from the recommended novel.
Candidates are usually given an e-copy of the book as soon as they register at any JAMB-accredited CBT center after making payment and obtaining the JAMB e-registration PIN.
Summary of the Life Changer JAMB Novel 2024/2025
“The Life Changer” is a 79-page book that tells us the story of four major characters and the challenges they are faced with. Though the book has nine chapters, the chapters talk about four different stories of four major characters portrayed by the author.
Four Major Stories Captured in the Book
The first story is about Bint, a young girl who faces an intrusive Social Studies teacher and handles the situation with intelligence and grace. The second story centers on Ummi, a young woman who gains admission into the university. Ummi narrated her university experience to her children. She also talks about the freedom and carefree life of students in the university and how her admission changed her.
The story of Talle is also presented by the author. Talle is considered a good person by the villagers, but getting involved in kidnapping and extortion schemes leads to his arrest and imprisonment. The fourth story is that of Salma; she goes to the level coordinator to have her forms signed, and her interactions with Dr Debo highlight her pompous attitude and tendency to bribe lecturers.
Download “The Life Changer” for free
Seize this opportunity to download your free PDF copy of “The Life Changer” by Khadija A Jalli. Set your sail towards success in the UTME ‘Use of English’ paper as you thoroughly study the recommended novel.
DOWNLOAD LIFE CHANGER PDF
Feel free to go through the summary of this book as presented by Akande Wasiu. The nine chapters are briefly presented below:
CHAPTER 1 – Life Changer
A family of six awaits the arrival of Mr. Esquire. While they wait, Bint gives an account of her classroom encounter with her intrusive social studies teacher, Mallam Salihu, who is known to act as though he knew a bit more about every subject as he will often ask questions outside the subject of discussion. Bint narrates how she genuinely handled a similar occurrence, leaving the teacher dumbfounded by the cheering and laughter of other pupils.
Ummi is seamlessly proud of her daughter, particularly Bint’s intelligent approach to issues, and she joins in the discussion right before Omar joyfully announces his admission to study law at Ahmadu Bello University. As the family gathers to celebrate Omar’s success, Omar boasts of his achievement and takes pride in solely overcoming examination challenges and several other entry procedures while seeking admission. Ummi recognizes her son’s naivety and tries to enlighten him about The Life-Changing capability of university admission.
Ummi tells her children how her admission changed her.
CHAPTER 2 – Life Changer
Twenty years ago, Ummi gained admission into the university and got married to her husband even before she started her registration. Ummi tells them about the freedom and the carefree life of students in the university, the difficulty in distinguishing between teachers and students with females dressing almost naked, and how some faculties are required to be on dress codes. Ummi further discloses her experience with Salma, a sophisticated young lady.
Salma goes for her registration much later than everyone else but expresses discomfort and irritation about the delay in the registration process. A young man in the queue interrogates Salma, and he continuously engages her in a discussion, but Salma continues to criticize and overgeneralize her opinions about lecturers.
Salma does not only create a similarity between lectures and policemen as personalities that can be bribed, but she also boasts about her ability to win the lecturer’s favor if she gives him as low as two or three thousand Naira. Unknowingly to Salma and to the astonishment of everyone in the queue, the young man she has been conversing with is the lecturer in charge of the registration procedure.
Ummi proceeds with her departmental registration, and she is directed to the HOD’s office. The HOD is seen exchanging endearing pleasantries with Ummi, which she finds rather discomforting and inappropriate. Ummi assumes the HOD is trying to make a pass at her.
She indeterminately manages to accommodate this until she is given her matriculation number and leaves the office irritated and angry. On getting home, Ummi tells her husband about her experience at the HOD’s office, but she is astounded to learn about the friendship and rapport between her husband and Dr. Sam John.
CHAPTER 3 – Life Changer
Ummi tells the story of “the quiet one,” a boy named Talle. Talle is given birth to after many years of child futility, and his birth causes the death of his mother. He grew up possessing a silent character and becoming even more reticent with the death of his father and stepmother. Thus, ‘the quiet one’ was a perfect description.
Talle is considered a good person by the villagers and unable to cause harm. However, Talle needed money at one point and confided in Zaki, who proposed the idea of abducting a boy and requesting a ransom. The plan is executed by the duo, and Talle restrains the boy in his house. Talle goes to the market for his groceries, but his usual request for food items has doubled. Soon, the market woman notices a change in his larger request for groceries and reports the issue to the District head. While Talle was being interrogated by the District head, policemen rampaged the palace and arrested Talle as a suspect of kidnapping and extortion. Talle and Zaki were eventually sentenced to several years of imprisonment.
CHAPTER 4 – Life Changer
This chapter gives a further account of Salma’s splendour and pomposity. Salma goes to Dr. Debo, the level coordinator, to have her forms signed. Unfortunately, Dr. Debo loses touch with his many years of discipline and makes advances toward Salma. Salma arrogantly dismisses his attempt and further insults him before leaving the office. Dabo is left in a state of regret, and he remorsefully prays to be vindicated from the impact of what he has created.
Salma completes her hostile registration and moves into a room occupied by three other girls. Initially, Salma does not like the sight of her roommates, but eventually, they begin to grow fond of each other and form an intimacy they regard as sisterhood.
On a faithful evening, Salma is offered a ride in a Mercedes Benz by two men, Habib and his driver, Labaran. She slides in, knowing it is dangerous, and she conceitedly plots a scheme to decline Habib’s request to date her if he eventually proposes.
Having to decline a man who rides Benz is Salma’s way of upgrading her standards and getting recognition and respect from her colleagues and the entire university.
CHAPTER 5 – Life Changer
In this chapter, it is discovered that Salma gives Habib Tomiwa’s mobile line instead, and unknowingly to Habib, he calls Tomiwa to go out on a date with him. Tomiwa is curious about Habib and decides to go out on a blind date but eventually discloses the switch in mobile lines. Habib likes her and shops for her and her roommates.
He also gives Tomiwa some money for herself and her roomies. She is elated, and her roommates share in this happiness. At first, Salma agitates against Tomiwa’s approval of Habib and accuses her of being a chameleon. Ada and Ngozi intervened, but the issue escalated. They soon come to a state of tranquillity as soon as someone knocks at the door. They do not want to have to share their lots with other neighbours.
Meanwhile, Salma and her roommates continue to excel in their separate departments and prepare for General Studies papers.
CHAPTER 6 – Life Changer
Salma finds Moral Philosophy very difficult. She, however, prepares by practicing past questions and answering them offhand. Unfortunately, Salma is unable to answer any of the questions during the examination as none of the topics for which she spent the whole night preparing were set. She resolves to indulge in examination malpractice. Kola provides answers to some of the questions in a note as she copies them into her answer booklet. Regrettably, she was caught by a female lecturer.
Salma is compelled to fill out the Examination Malpractice (EMAL) form and ushered to the HOD’s office. He transferred her case to the Exams and Ethics Committee for further processing. Salma and Kola were expelled thereafter.
CHAPTER 7 – Life Changer
Salma goes to Habib to help her influence the committee by using his position as a politician. Habib offers to involve Dr. Debo, but due to her past experience with the lecturer, she declines this suggestion and proposes bribing. Habib offers to give Salma some money to bribe the chairman of the Examination and Ethics Committee (EMEC), but in return, she must repay in kind.
Salma is reluctant to accept this offer because of her affair with Labaran, and she considers it unfair to have an affair with her friend’s man. Salma soon gives in to his request, but unfortunately, she gives the money to Dr. Kabir, who claims to be the chairman of the EMEC. She soon finds out she has been deceived by Dr. Kabir, who was neither the chairman nor a member of the Committee. She is demoralized and breaks down.
CHAPTER 8 – Life Changer
This chapter reveals Mohammed Kabir’s true identity. He is a laboratory technologist employed by the University. Since secondary school, he has been nicknamed Doctor and has always been referred to as Dr. Kabir.
Labaran discovers Salma has been played by the gambler and informs Habib, suggesting Zaki be contacted to handle the situation. Honourable Habib is skeptical about involving Zaki owing to his failure in the first mission of abducting Alhaji Adamu’s son. Habib yielded to Labaran’s suggestion and contacted Zaki to trail Kabir.
Kabir is spotted at a gambling spot. Kabir wins the game at the gambling spot and leaves to avoid losing it all. Sadly, he is trailed by thugs whose mission is to retrieve Kabir’s wins. Zaki catches up with Kabir as he is being attacked by the thugs. Zaki strikes the thugs and gains control of the situation as they flee. He then concentrates on Kabir, collects the money, and leaves him bruised.
Ummi also tells her children how Salma changed her immoral ways. Salma becomes serious and decent after the death of her father, and because of her level of seriousness, Ummi allows Salma to become friends with her.
CHAPTER 9 – Life Changer
Ummi also reveals Salim’s resentful experience with smartphones. Salim confesses to Lawal about a girl he met on social media. After several exchanges of pictures, chats, and affection, Salim visits Natasha according to her preference. Unconscious to him that he is being tricked by Natasha, he embarks on a journey to see her late in the night. Upon his arrival, she joins him in the front seat of his SUV, and Salim is captivated by her beauty. He is eventually ambushed by gunmen who try to rob him of his possessions. Luckily for him, he escapes, only to get involved with another lady he meets on social media.
This time, he pleads with Lawal to accompany him to avoid a similar contingency. Lawal declines, and he goes to see the supposed beautiful girl. Salim leaves in disappointment as he meets an ugly girl instead.
Read also: JAMB 2024: How to check your exam date, centre and time
CONCLUSION
Khadija A. Jalli’s “The Life Changer” is 79 pages long, so it’s easy to read. But if you are busy and your exam is coming tomorrow or next, feel free to read the summary.
It is advisable to read “The Life Changer” at least once, and then you can use the summary to augment what you’ve read. Apart from helping you pass your exam, the Life Changer contains many significant moral lessons. The lessons can help you in ways beyond your imagination, so The Life Changer is a great book for any reader.