The Life Changer

The family was waiting for Daddy to return from work. While they waited, Ummi passed by her children's room and heard laughter coming from inside. It began quietly but gradually grew into loud, uncontrolled laughter. The sound caught her attention and made her stop outside the room. She did not consider herself the sort of mother who secretly listened to her children's private conversations, but there was something so lively and irresistible about the laughter that she remained there for a while to find out what was amusing them.

From outside the room, Ummi could tell that Bint, her five-year-old daughter, was doing most of the talking. Bint was telling her sisters about an incident that had taken place in her classroom the previous week. She narrated it so vividly that anyone listening could almost imagine being present when it happened.

The incident involved Bint's Social Studies teacher, Mallam Salihu. He was the sort of teacher who liked to give the impression that he knew something about practically every subject. One area in which he particularly tried to display his knowledge was French, even though his actual command of the language was limited. This was especially interesting because Bint was new at the school and French was only an optional subject at her level.

Ummi and her husband had nevertheless encouraged Bint to take French. They believed that learning another language was easier when a person started young. They also regarded French as an important international language, second only to English in their estimation. Their decision meant that little Bint had already begun learning enough French to understand basic expressions.

One day, Mallam Salihu decided to test the class by asking if anyone knew the French expression for 'Good Morning.' The classroom became silent. He asked again when nobody volunteered an answer. Bint knew the answer, but she did not immediately jump up with confidence. She hesitated before cautiously raising her hand.

Mallam Salihu noticed her and called on her. Before allowing her to answer, he asked for her name. She introduced herself as Bint. He then repeated his question, asking her to tell the class how one says good morning in French. Bint supplied the correct expression, 'Bonjour.'

Mallam Salihu was pleased and praised her in English. But Bint, apparently innocently, immediately asked him another question. Since he had just told her that her answer was very good, she wanted him to tell her how the expression 'that's very good' was said in French.

Her question completely unsettled him. He had been the one displaying his knowledge of French, but suddenly the five-year-old pupil had asked something he could not answer. Instead of attempting an answer, he hurried out of the classroom. A few minutes later, he returned with the school's French Mistress.

Mallam Salihu then asked the French Mistress to tell Bint how the expression was said in French. The French teacher supplied the answer, and Bint repeated it confidently after her. At that point, the entire class began clapping and laughing. Mallam Salihu quietly followed the French Mistress out of the classroom and did not return for the rest of that period.

As soon as the teachers were gone, Bint's classmates surrounded her. They clapped, sang and celebrated her as though she had achieved something remarkable. To them, it was impressive that such a young pupil had managed, even without deliberately planning it, to ask a question their teacher could not answer. Bint's classmates began to see her as someone capable of doing bigger things.

It was this classroom victory that Bint was excitedly recounting to her sisters when Ummi entered the room. Bint was still celebrating the fact that she had successfully put her teacher on the spot.

Ummi entered quietly rather than interrupting them immediately. Her children were already used to her occasionally appearing without announcement. She did this deliberately because she believed it kept them alert, especially concerning matters of personal hygiene and behaviour. She also made periodic checks of their room to ensure that they had learned basic habits such as keeping their surroundings clean.

Ummi believed strongly that habits formed during childhood could remain with a person for life. In her view, something a child became accustomed to doing while young could become very difficult to correct in adulthood. She therefore tried to use ordinary experiences as opportunities to teach her children useful lessons. At the same time, she avoided turning every correction into a long sermon. This approach had helped her children trust her and respect her judgment on many matters.

She sat down between Bint and Jamila, who was Bint's immediate elder sister. The girls were sitting along the edge of the bed and seemed almost as if they had expected their mother to join them. Ummi told Bint that she was proud of her, and Bint happily moved closer to her mother.

Bint was Ummi's last child and, as the youngest, was the darling of the family. Omar, on the other hand, was Ummi's first child and her only son. There was a particularly strong bond between Omar and Bint. Omar was so fond of his youngest sister that people around them were reluctant to challenge Bint too strongly whenever Omar was present, regardless of how stubborn she might be behaving.

Ummi also explains the unusual way her children addressed her. In her community, children commonly called their mothers Mama, but her children called her Mummy. They did not normally call her Ummi either, even though that was the name by which other people knew her. Her name, Ummi, itself meant 'my mother' in Arabic, and she had been named after her paternal grandmother. To people outside her immediate family she was Ummi, while to her children and their friends she was Mummy. Omar was slightly different from his sisters because he preferred to call her Mum. The exact title did not concern her very much. What mattered to her was that her children treated one another with respect.

After hearing the excitement surrounding Bint's classroom experience, Ummi did not simply encourage the children to continue mocking Mallam Salihu. Instead, she tried to make them look at the matter differently. She explained that Mallam Salihu had probably only been trying to practise the little French he knew so that he could improve himself. She felt they should not be too hard on him. More importantly, when he discovered that he did not know the answer to Bint's question, he was humble enough to seek someone who did.

Ummi contrasted him with the sort of teacher who might refuse to admit ignorance and insist that a wrong answer was correct simply because he was the teacher. To illustrate her point, she mentioned the French expression 'au revoir.' Bint immediately demonstrated that she knew it meant goodbye until people met again. Ummi agreed, but explained that an unreasonable teacher could still insist that it meant something entirely different if he wanted to protect his pride.

Bint protested that such behaviour would not be fair. Ummi replied that it was equally unfair for pupils deliberately to push their teachers beyond what the teachers knew. The girls responded that teachers themselves were often responsible because some behaved as though they knew everything.

The discussion became lively enough that the children appeared to forget that their own mother was also a teacher. Ummi noticed this but deliberately did not remind them. She enjoyed the natural way the discussion was developing and knew that unnecessarily interrupting it would destroy its spontaneity.

Teemah, Ummi's second child, was just about to contribute to the discussion when a loud knock interrupted them. Before anyone properly invited the visitor inside, Omar pushed the door open and rushed towards his mother in excitement.

He announced triumphantly that he had made it. His sisters immediately stood up and demanded to know what exactly he had made. Omar then revealed the news: he had gained admission into the university. Turning particularly to Bint, he proudly announced that her big brother was now a university student.

The girls exploded with excitement. They screamed, shouted and celebrated the news together. Ummi herself was pleasantly surprised because nobody in the family had known exactly where Omar had gone earlier that morning. When he greeted her before leaving home, she had noticed that he seemed unusually anxious, but he had not explained why.

Ummi now looked at her son with renewed pride. Omar had left home that morning dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt. He wore his hair in a neat skin cut and maintained carefully trimmed sideburns. Although he was only eighteen, his appearance could make someone assume that he was already well into his twenties. He had always seemed mature for his age. One quality Ummi particularly admired in him was his neatness. He dressed decently and kept himself clean, something that gave his mother considerable satisfaction.

Omar produced the admission letter and handed it to her. It was from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, popularly known as JAMB. Ummi reflects briefly on the fact that even some university students did not necessarily know what the acronym JAMB stood for. She read the letter and discovered that Omar had been offered admission to study Law at the Kongo Campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

The news was exhilarating. Studying Law was Omar's great ambition. There was also a family significance to his choice of course. Omar's father had once wanted to study Law himself, but circumstances had taken him in another direction and he eventually studied Accounting. Omar was therefore entering the field his father had once hoped to pursue.

Teemah, who was Omar's first sister and therefore the eldest of the girls, asked what course he had been offered. Omar immediately used the opportunity to begin enjoying his new identity as a future lawyer. He jokingly corrected the way his sister addressed him and demanded more respect. Since everyone in the house except their mother and father was younger than he was, he announced that they should stop addressing him casually. He suggested that, as a future member of the legal profession, they should begin referring to him with the exaggerated respect of a learned brother.

Teemah laughed at him and pointed out that he was getting ahead of himself before he had even started university. Jamila also joined the teasing and asked whether he could even hear himself. Teemah jokingly instructed everyone to start calling him Omar Esquire. Omar was not discouraged. He continued enjoying the joke and his new status, while Teemah responded with deliberate sarcasm.

Bint approached her brother differently. She congratulated him and hugged him. Omar thanked her warmly and told her that she was an exception to his new rule about how the sisters should address him. She could continue calling him whatever she wanted. But he warned the others, still joking, that he would not accept anything short of the grand title he had invented for himself.

Everyone burst into laughter again. Ummi then reminded them that their father had not yet returned from work. She told them to wait for him before turning the occasion into a full family celebration. Daddy normally closed from work around five in the evening and would arrive home later. Ummi knew that the children wanted to celebrate immediately, but she preferred that the entire family be present.

Omar then made another request. He did not want any of his sisters, especially Teemah, to tell Daddy about the admission before Omar had the opportunity to do so himself. Ummi asked why this mattered so much. Omar explained that Daddy had previously promised that if he gained admission, his torchlight phone would be replaced with a smartphone running Android.

Teemah immediately challenged this version of the promise. According to her, Daddy had not simply promised Omar a smartphone. There was a condition attached: he would receive the smartphone only if he left the family his old torchlight phone. The way Teemah presented the correction made everyone laugh again.

Omar accused her of plain jealousy and suggested that she was only protesting because she was not growing as tall as he was. Ummi allowed the siblings to tease one another for a while. She knew that regardless of their jokes, the day was going to end in celebration once their father came home.

Omar repeated that nobody should rush to tell Daddy the news before him. Ummi reassured him that they would not. As soon as Daddy arrived, Omar could personally tell him about the admission.

The room was becoming uncomfortable because the fan was not running. There had been no electricity for two days, and the family's generator also needed repairs. Jamila suggested that they move outside and sit beneath the mango tree in the courtyard where the air would be cooler. They agreed. Bint and Jamila carried chairs outside and dusted them with an old piece of cloth.

Once everyone had settled outside, Bint called to her mother and said that she wanted some zobo. Omar immediately offered to buy the drink for everyone and instructed Teemah to bring five bottles. Teemah, however, insisted that he should give her the money first.

Omar looked at their mother as if Teemah's demand proved something about his sister. He complained jokingly that Teemah did not trust him. Ummi simply smiled. Teemah defended herself by asking Omar whether even he trusted himself when money was involved.

Omar claimed that he did. Teemah then reminded him of the number of times he had taken her zobo without paying. Omar dismissed that complaint by saying things were different now. He was no longer an undergraduate-to-be in his own imagination but a potential lawyer, and he jokingly warned the girls that one day they might need him to defend them in court. He said that when that happened he would remind them of how they had treated him on the day his admission arrived.

Teemah finally went to get the zobo while the others remained outside. When Bint and Jamila finished arranging the chairs, everyone sat down. The atmosphere was cheerful and nobody wanted to spoil the family's happiness.

Then Bint suddenly asked her mother to tell them a story. Before Ummi could answer, Teemah returned carrying five bottles of zobo on a plastic tray and squatted to serve everyone.

Bint's request made Ummi think. She knew her daughter probably expected an ordinary entertaining story, perhaps something similar to the tales children often enjoyed. But Ummi's thoughts were elsewhere. Omar was about to enter a new environment. He was going to university and would soon encounter a world very different from the sheltered community in which he had grown up. University would give him far greater freedom, and that freedom would come with situations for which he needed to be prepared.

Ummi began considering whether she should tell her children about her own experiences at university. Her life before marriage had contained many experiences, one following another, and she knew the story would not necessarily have the same exaggerated excitement as the children's tales. She was not trying to compete with Bint as a storyteller. What mattered was that her children might learn something useful from what she had experienced.

She therefore decided that instead of inventing a story about mythical creatures or other fictional adventures, she would tell them about her own life. If her experiences could give them even a small glimpse into the kind of world Omar was about to enter, then telling the story would serve a purpose. Ummi was not naturally inclined to reveal personal details about herself, but this occasion seemed appropriate.

There were still two or three hours before Daddy was expected back from work. The children had finished school for the day and there was no pressure to rush anywhere. Ummi therefore had enough time. Before beginning her own university story, however, she wanted to hear more about Omar's admission and how he had discovered that he had been accepted.

Omar began by describing the effort that had brought him to this point. He told his mother and sisters that gaining admission was not as simple as it might appear. He had passed his Senior School Certificate examinations, which he considered a serious achievement. Teemah could not resist teasing him and mockingly congratulated him as though passing those examinations made him another William Shakespeare.

Omar initially opened his mouth to respond, but Teemah continued before he could properly answer. She reminded him that many parents paid large sums to so-called Miracle Centres in an attempt to secure examination success for their children, yet some of those candidates still failed. Omar defended himself by pointing out that he had earned seven credits, including the essential subjects English and Mathematics, on his first attempt in WAEC. To him, this was no small achievement.

He told Teemah not to reduce the importance of what he had accomplished. Otherwise, he joked, when her own time came to sit the examination, he would simply wait and see what she managed to achieve.

Teemah realized that her teasing had begun to hurt him slightly. She stopped and allowed him to continue his account.

Omar explained that after the WAEC results were released, the family purchased a JAMB form for him. He completed it online and submitted it. At the time, many people were moving from one school to another trying to find ways of securing admission for their children. Omar, however, hoped that he would pass the matriculation examination on his own merit.

When the examination result was released, Omar discovered that he had scored 230 out of 400. He was proud of the result. Teemah could not resist one last remark and observed that at least they now knew he had not slept throughout the examination. Omar ignored her rather than allowing the teasing to derail his story.

He continued by explaining what had happened only two days earlier. Some of his friends called him and advised him to check his admission status online. Omar paused during the story and looked meaningfully at his mother. He used this part of the story to return to the subject of smartphones.

Omar pointed out that most of his friends had learned about their admission from the comfort of their bedrooms simply by using their phones. Because he did not have a suitable smartphone, he had been unable to do the same. He eventually went to an internet café that day to check his admission status.

The effort was worthwhile. When he checked online, he found his name among the successful candidates. That was how he finally confirmed that he had been admitted. The experience had been extremely exciting for him. Still, he could not resist telling his mother that things would have been easier if he had been able to check from his own room with a better phone.

Ummi understood exactly what he was doing. She told him calmly that they would discuss the promised phone when Daddy returned.

Then Ummi asked a more serious question. She wanted to know whether Omar understood the implications of gaining university admission for his life.

Omar replied confidently that he did. In his mind, admission meant that he had finally arrived. He was now joining what he considered the community of educated and intelligent people. His answer amused Ummi. She smiled at what she regarded as the innocence and confidence of youth. Omar had received one admission letter and already seemed to think of himself as belonging to a special intellectual class.

Ummi then told him to listen carefully. University admission, she explained, could be a life-changing experience.

Omar stopped at the expression. He wanted to know exactly what she meant by 'life changer.' Teemah quickly stepped in and interpreted it in the simplest way: it was something that changed a person's life.

Ummi expanded on that explanation. A life-changing experience did not merely alter the circumstances around someone. It could also change the person himself.

That answer made Omar even more curious. He wanted his mother to explain how university admission could change him personally.

Ummi could not tell him exactly how his own university experience would transform him because his life was still ahead of him and his experiences would be his own. But there was something she could tell him with certainty. She knew what gaining admission into the university had done to her own life.

Omar immediately wanted to hear that story.

And with that question, the cheerful family conversation beneath the mango tree became the doorway into Ummi's past. Omar's admission had started the celebration, but it had also given his mother a reason to prepare him for the world he was about to enter. Chapter One therefore closes with Ummi ready to tell her children how her own admission into university changed her life, setting up the account that begins in Chapter Two.

Ummi begins the story of how gaining admission into the university changed her own life. She takes her children back to the day she was preparing to leave Lafayette for university. It was a bright and sunny day, and the people of Lafayette were happy that one of their daughters was going to university. More than twenty years had passed since that day, but Ummi still remembered it clearly because university admission was a major achievement not only for her but also for her family and community.

Her father had agreed to allow her to attend university on one important condition: she had to get married before graduating. Ummi accepted the condition. Her husband, who was already her fiancé at the time, agreed that they should marry even before she left to complete her university registration. By the time Ummi was ready to begin university life, therefore, she was already married. Her admission became an occasion of double celebration because her community was celebrating both her marriage and her entry into the university.

Despite being married, Ummi admits that she did not fully understand her husband until she entered the university. The first major surprise came when she arrived on campus and saw the way people dressed. She had expected university students to look very different from what she encountered. Everybody appeared to be dressed almost however they wished. What surprised her even more was that it could sometimes be difficult to distinguish a student from a teacher merely by looking at their clothes.

Ummi explains this to Omar because he is about to enter the same kind of environment. In secondary school, students were identified by uniforms and teachers generally dressed differently. At the university, however, only lecturers were unrestricted in quite the same sense, while students were also given considerable freedom compared with secondary-school pupils.

Omar interrupts to ask whether he will therefore be required to wear a uniform again. Ummi tells him that this is not what she means. She explains that his Faculty of Law has its own dress code. Male Law students are expected to dress formally in black trousers, white shirts and black neckties during classes. Female Law students wear black skirts with white tops. Outside class periods, however, students have greater freedom in their choice of clothes.

Omar does not see this as a disadvantage. To him, the special dress code will make Law students stand out from other students and give them a distinctive identity. Ummi agrees that there is something special about it.

Jamila then asks what happened when Ummi herself arrived at university. Ummi returns to her story. She explains that what immediately caught her attention was the difference between university dressing and the environment she had known before. She tells the children that they should not misunderstand her point as an attack on personal freedom. University students were not necessarily indecent simply because they were no longer wearing school uniforms. Rather, the freedom of the university meant that students could make many personal choices for themselves.

Ummi specifically tells Omar that university girls generally dressed with far less restriction than girls in secondary school. Bint, still thinking from the perspective of her own primary school, is shocked by the idea. At her school, something as minor as wearing sandals of the wrong colour could result in a pupil being sent home.

Ummi uses Bint's reaction to make another point. Discipline, decency and good behaviour should not exist only because a school has imposed rules. They should become part of a person's character. A person should not behave properly only in primary or secondary school and then abandon those values after entering university.

Ummi makes it clear that she is not condemning freedom of dressing. She herself believes that people should have freedom in such matters. What she wants Omar to understand is that greater freedom requires personal judgment and responsibility.

From this discussion of university life, Ummi moves to the first major incident she witnessed during registration. That incident involved a young woman named Salma.

Salma was a fair-complexioned young woman. She was tall, slim and at the same time noticeably curvy. The clothes she wore were extremely tight and drew attention to her figure. Ummi remembers that the tightness of Salma's clothes made one wonder how much effort it had taken her to put them on. Salma wore dark sunglasses that emphasized her appearance and confidence. Young men openly stared at her as she moved around, while the relatively few women in the area generally pretended not to notice the attention she was receiving.

Salma was in the same registration queue as Ummi. Registration was moving very slowly because the lecturer responsible had not yet arrived. No student was allowed into the office, and the people waiting had already spent a long time in the queue without making progress.

Salma had arrived only about fifteen minutes earlier, but she immediately began complaining loudly. She was particularly irritated by the attitude of university registration officers. She accused them of being inconsiderate and suggested that university lecturers behaved as though students had no other responsibilities or places to be.

A young man standing nearby heard Salma's complaints and politely asked the people in the queue to remain patient. He explained that the person responsible for registration would soon arrive and that the process would continue.

Instead of accepting this reassurance, Salma became even more outspoken. She said she understood how university officials behaved. According to her, they deliberately kept students waiting and acted as if they had nothing useful to do. She claimed that the officials were like policemen at checkpoints. In her opinion, both groups intentionally delayed people because they expected some form of personal benefit before doing what they were supposed to do.

The young man asked whether she was suggesting that lecturers and policemen were essentially the same. Salma replied confidently that they were. She even argued that policemen might be easier to deal with because, whether a person was right or wrong, one could simply give a policeman money and be allowed to continue. With lecturers, she argued, it was not always so straightforward. A male student might be asked for money, while a female student could be asked for a date or some other favour.

The young man questioned whether Salma truly believed what she was saying. Salma insisted that she did. In her view, the university environment worked through favours and influence. She suggested that if she had the opportunity, she would simply approach the registration officer, give him two or three thousand naira and have him attend to her immediately instead of remaining in the queue.

The young man continued asking questions, and Salma eventually became irritated. She removed her sunglasses and demanded to know why he was interrogating her. She complained that he was asking too many questions.

The young man calmly told her that he found her claims too sweeping. Salma replied that he probably did not know lecturers as well as she did. She said this was not her first university and implied that she had enough previous experience to know how lecturers behaved.

The young man then referred directly to her claim that money could influence the registration process. Salma confirmed that this was exactly what she meant and insisted that money could move mountains.

At that moment, the situation changed completely.

The young man turned towards everyone waiting and asked them to allow Salma Mohammed to move to the front of the queue so that she could meet the lecturer and get the registration process started. Salma answered when her full name was called, and the students allowed her to move forward.

Just then, the lecturer's office opened. A man emerged carrying a wet duster. He locked the office after himself. Everyone in the queue became silent and confused.

Salma removed her sunglasses again and stared at the young man who had been questioning her. She was beginning to realize that something about the situation was not what she had assumed.

The man carrying the duster handed the office key to the young man. The young man thanked him and addressed him as John. John asked whether there was anything else he could do. The young man replied that there was nothing more, but advised him to be quicker with the cleaning next time because it was not good to keep new students waiting.

John apologized, explaining that he was almost finished with the work. He then left.

Only then did everyone fully understand what had happened. The young man who had been standing with the students all along, quietly listening to Salma condemn university lecturers and registration officers, was himself the lecturer they had been waiting for. His office had merely been undergoing cleaning.

The entire queue turned towards Salma. She had spent several minutes confidently explaining that lecturers were corrupt, inconsiderate and interested in money or favours, without realizing that she was saying all of this directly in front of the lecturer responsible for her registration.

Salma was suddenly speechless. She stood there trembling and embarrassed, like someone who had been thoroughly drenched by rain. The confidence with which she had criticized the university system disappeared immediately.

The lecturer remained calm. He opened his office and, before entering, instructed everyone to remain orderly. He said the screening exercise would begin shortly and that the process would operate on a first-come, first-served basis. He then went inside.

Every eye turned towards Salma. She no longer had anything to say. She occupied herself with her appearance and waited for her turn to be screened.

Ummi herself completed her screening shortly afterwards. She then proceeded to her department to obtain her matriculation number and complete other registration requirements. She did not encounter Salma again until several months later.

As Ummi reaches this point in her story, Teemah laughs at Salma's embarrassment. But Ummi tells the children that what happened during her own departmental registration was also memorable.

Omar immediately wants to know what happened, so Ummi continues.

When Ummi reached her department, she met a secretary working at a computer. The secretary was a woman of relatively few words. Ummi introduced herself as a new student and explained that she had come to obtain her matriculation number.

Instead of giving it to her directly, the secretary simply pointed towards another door. The letters HOD were written on it, indicating the office of the Head of Department.

Ummi knocked timidly on the door and waited. A voice from inside told her to enter. When she stepped into the office, she was surprised to discover that the Head of Department was also a relatively young man. He was seated behind his desk, writing on some papers.

The man stopped writing and looked at her. Ummi immediately noticed tribal marks on his face. Such marks were becoming uncommon, but she recognized them as marks associated with Yoruba ancestry. She also noticed a crucifix hanging around his neck, indicating that he was a Christian or at least associated with Christianity.

For reasons she could not fully explain at that moment, Ummi became apprehensive. The HOD asked what he could do for her. She explained that she was a new student who had come for her matriculation number. She remained standing while speaking.

The HOD invited her to sit down, addressing her warmly. Ummi sat, but his manner of speaking made her slightly uncomfortable. She had grown up with a strong sense of etiquette and personal boundaries. She was uncomfortable when strangers used intimate expressions too freely, especially when a man she had only just met addressed her in a familiar way.

Her discomfort was made worse by what had happened earlier with Salma. Salma's sweeping accusations about university lecturers were still fresh in Ummi's mind, and although Ummi had dismissed much of Salma's behaviour, she could not completely prevent those accusations from influencing her interpretation of the HOD.

The HOD introduced himself through the name on his desk: Samuel Johnson, PhD. He told Ummi that she was among the first students to report for registration. Ummi hoped he would simply assign her matriculation number so she could leave.

He asked for her name. She told him she was Ummi Ahmad. He looked through a file and then unexpectedly asked whether she wanted something to drink.

Ummi declined quickly.

The offer increased her discomfort. She wondered why the Head of Department would offer a new female student a drink simply because she had come to register. Her mind returned to Salma's claims about lecturers. Ummi became suspicious that the man might be trying to make advances towards her.

Then Dr Samuel Johnson complimented her appearance. He told her that she looked beautiful and decent in her clothing. He also said that students should emulate her manner of dressing and expressed the hope that her intelligence matched the impression created by her appearance.

Instead of receiving the compliment comfortably, Ummi became even more suspicious. She wondered why the man was saying such things when she had come only for a matriculation number.

Her clothing was modest. She was not wearing hijab, but her dress covered her body appropriately. She and her husband had always believed that decency depended more on how clothing covered the body than on any single label attached to a garment. Still, because of the earlier discussion with Salma, Ummi was now watching the HOD carefully.

Dr Johnson told everyone else in the office to leave, leaving Ummi alone with him. This increased her anxiety. She wondered why he wanted privacy and why he was behaving so familiarly.

At some point, Ummi asked whether she could have her matriculation number immediately because she wanted to leave. Dr Johnson told her she could have it. But when Ummi indicated that she wanted to use the toilet, another awkward exchange followed.

She first asked if she could use his toilet. He told her she could. Ummi became confused and briefly wondered whether she had misunderstood him. Dr Johnson explained that the toilet was part of his office and could be used.

Still uncomfortable, Ummi entered the toilet. While she was inside, she heard a gurgling sound from the office and became convinced that the man had discharged something. The situation made her even more embarrassed and suspicious. She felt uncomfortable enough that she wanted to complete her registration and leave as quickly as possible.

When she came out, Dr Johnson was again occupied with the file before him. He finally gave her the matriculation number. Her number was UG0001, making her the first registered student in that sequence. Dr Johnson joked that if she remained the first in everything, she would be the first in everything that mattered academically as well.

Ummi did not appreciate his remarks at the time. She was already angry and suspicious and simply wanted to leave. She thanked him coldly and left the office.

She proceeded to the 100 Level Coordinator to continue her registration. By the time she completed the remaining process, it was around four o'clock in the evening. She was completely exhausted and took a tricycle home.

At this point Bint interrupts Ummi to ask what a tricycle is. Teemah tells her to stop interrupting and allow their mother to continue.

When Ummi arrived home that day, her husband had not yet returned from work. She quickly prepared dinner, took an early bath and waited for him.

When he eventually returned, Ummi was eager to tell him everything that had happened during her first day at university. Her husband immediately noticed how ready she was to talk and jokingly observed that people could never be completely certain about others.

His comment reminded Ummi of her experience with the HOD. She agreed that people could be surprising and began narrating her entire day to him, starting with the registration queue and Salma's embarrassing encounter with the young lecturer.

Her husband listened as she described the long queue, Salma's accusations, the revelation that the young man was actually the lecturer, and finally Ummi's own encounter with the Head of Department.

When Ummi described the HOD, however, her husband began asking very specific questions. First he asked for the man's name. Ummi could not immediately remember it. He then asked whether the man's name was Samuel Johnson.

Ummi was shocked that her husband knew the name.

She confirmed that it was indeed Samuel Johnson.

Her husband next asked whether the man had tribal marks on his face. Ummi looked at him blankly and confirmed that he did. Her husband asked whether the marks looked Yoruba. Ummi said yes and asked whether he knew the man.

Her husband could no longer completely hide his amusement. He laughed and explained that the HOD was Dr Samuel Johnson, a Yoruba man and, more importantly, his friend.

Ummi stared at him in surprise.

Her husband then revealed the final piece of information: Dr Samuel Johnson was not merely someone he happened to know. He was actually the person who had helped Ummi's husband secure her university admission.

The revelation completely changes Ummi's understanding of the day's events. The young HOD whom she had suspected of improper intentions had already known who she was through her husband. His friendliness, interest and familiarity were therefore not necessarily the advances Ummi had imagined. The episode reinforces one of the lessons running through Ummi's stories: people can easily misinterpret others when they judge situations without knowing the full background.

After Ummi reveals that Dr Samuel Johnson, the Head of Department she had suspected of making advances towards her, was actually her husband's friend and the man who had helped secure her admission, a long silence falls over the family. Her children have been following the story closely, and the revelation leaves each of them thinking about what they have just heard.

Their silence reminds Ummi of her own reaction more than twenty years earlier when her husband made the same revelation. At that time she had been unable to speak for a while. Eventually she had apologized to Dr Samuel Johnson through her husband for having misunderstood him. She did not return to the school to confront the HOD or explain herself personally after the revelation. Her husband understood her embarrassment and allowed the matter to rest. Nothing further happened, and life continued normally.

Omar eventually breaks the silence beneath the mango tree and asks about another matter. He remembers that his mother and father had referred to something involving their neighbour and wants to know what happened.

Ummi asks whether he means the story her husband had told her about their neighbour. All the girls immediately become interested and encourage their mother to tell it. Before beginning, Ummi stands briefly to allow blood to circulate properly in her lower limbs, then sits down again and prepares to narrate the story.

She looks directly at Omar because the lesson is particularly relevant to him. He will soon leave home and enter university in a bigger city. Ummi tells him that he must learn not to judge people merely by their outward appearance. Someone's face, clothing or public behaviour does not necessarily reveal everything about that person's character. She invokes the familiar lesson that a book should not be judged by its cover and tells Omar that he must learn to trust carefully without becoming careless.

The story Ummi is about to tell takes place in Lafayette, their small community. In Lafayette almost everyone knows everyone else. The community is so closely connected that strangers cannot easily enter and remain unnoticed.

Traditionally, anyone who wanted to accommodate or host a stranger was expected to do so with the knowledge and approval of the District Head, known as the Hakimi. The purpose of this custom was security. It was intended to prevent criminals or fugitives from secretly finding shelter in the community. Because people knew one another so well, it was difficult for someone to hide suspicious activities for long.

Ummi contrasts Lafayette with life in larger towns and cities, where people can live on the same street, or even next door to each other, for years without knowing one another properly. Lafayette is different. People know their neighbours, their families and, in many cases, the circumstances surrounding their births.

The man at the centre of Ummi's story is Talle.

Talle's parents were genuine citizens of Lafayette. They were known throughout the community as a humble and deeply religious couple. For several years after their marriage they had no child. Eventually, as they grew older, they conceived and had a son.

The birth of Talle became the subject of different explanations within the community. Some people believed that God had finally answered his parents' prayers after many years. Others offered less charitable interpretations and suggested that a local traditional healer might have helped them overcome their childlessness. Still others went as far as questioning whether Talle's father was truly his biological father.

Whatever people believed, Talle was born and raised as their son. His father died not long after Talle's birth. His mother then raised him alone until she too died when he was still relatively young. The exact circumstances surrounding his birth therefore remained something that could no longer be clarified by either parent.

Talle was not originally given the nickname 'the quiet one' at birth. The description developed naturally because of his personality. As he grew older, he became known for being unusually withdrawn and reserved. Even as a young boy he was not known for fighting or engaging in the noisy quarrels common among children. He kept largely to himself.

This quiet nature continued into adulthood. Whenever the community faced issues requiring discussion or collective responsibility, Talle generally remained calm and unobtrusive. He was the sort of person people considered harmless partly because he rarely argued with anyone and hardly ever raised his voice.

Talle was only about twenty years old when both of his parents were gone. From then on he was completely alone. He had no immediate family member with whom he could regularly discuss his problems or plans.

His daily routine became extremely predictable. Every morning he left for work at the Local Government Office, where he worked as a driver. He returned at about four o'clock in the evening. At the mosque he was always among those in the first row during prayers. His apparent devotion to religion contributed to the community's belief that he was a good and harmless young man.

People even noticed that he rarely disagreed openly with others. Whether an issue was important or trivial, Talle tended to avoid confrontation. Nobody could remember him raising his voice in anger. His quietness became such a defining feature that people simply came to know him as the quiet one.

Then, one day, something changed.

For years Talle had followed a regular pattern when buying food and household supplies. The local shopkeepers knew what he normally purchased because his needs were simple and predictable. He lived alone, so there was little reason for him to buy unusually large quantities of food.

Suddenly his purchases increased dramatically. For more than a week, the quantity of food he bought was roughly twice what people expected him to need. Because Lafayette was a small community where such changes were noticed, the shopkeepers became curious.

They knew Talle had no wife or children living with him. Yet he was buying enough food to suggest that he was feeding more than one person. One resident eventually decided that the change was suspicious enough to report to the District Head.

When Talle was summoned before the Hakimi, his naturally quiet personality made the questioning difficult. The Hakimi asked him what he normally bought in the market. Talle nervously mentioned a few measures of rice and some palm oil.

The Hakimi then asked why the shopkeepers had reported that his purchases had suddenly increased. Talle claimed that one of the shopkeepers had advised him to buy more because prices might rise within a few days. According to Talle, he had merely decided to purchase extra supplies so that he would not suffer if the prices increased.

The explanation did not satisfy the Hakimi. He asked where Talle had obtained the money to make these additional purchases.

Talle lowered his head and became even more uncomfortable. The atmosphere around the Hakimi's residence grew tense. Members of the community watching the questioning began to sense that something was wrong.

Before Talle could provide a convincing explanation, a loud commotion was heard outside the gate. A siren could be heard, apparently from a police or military vehicle. The sound was highly unusual in Lafayette. Police and military vehicles did not ordinarily arrive at the Hakimi's residence in that manner.

Three police vans stopped outside the gate.

The villagers were alarmed. They began wondering what could have brought such a large police presence to their quiet community. People moved closer to find out what was happening.

The moment Talle heard the siren, his behaviour changed completely. The man known throughout Lafayette for remaining calm suddenly sprang up and ran into the Hakimi's house.

The court attendants chased after him and brought him back.

His attempt to run immediately increased everyone's suspicion. Until then, people had only wondered why he was buying extra food. Now his reaction to the police siren suggested that he might actually be afraid of something.

Before Talle could explain himself, three heavily armed policemen entered the Hakimi's courtyard. One of them asked whether they were at the residence of the Hakimi of Lafayette.

The Hakimi identified himself.

The police officer announced that they were looking for one of the Hakimi's subjects in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery and extortion.

The Hakimi was shocked. He insisted that such a thing seemed impossible. Lafayette was known as a peaceful community, and he could hardly imagine one of its residents being involved in such serious crimes.

The policeman made it clear that the police had different information. He ordered one of his colleagues to bring in a man named Zaki.

The moment Talle heard the name Zaki, he collapsed.

People standing nearby noticed that Talle appeared to urinate on himself. His physical reaction confirmed that the name meant something important to him.

The Hakimi and the other villagers were stunned. One of the attendants uttered a religious expression in Arabic, essentially submitting to God's will. The policeman responded sarcastically, while the Hakimi clarified that the expression was meant as a pious acceptance of reality rather than the literal meaning the officer had suggested.

The officer asked whether Talle had another name or perhaps an Arabic name. The Hakimi explained that Talle was the only name by which they knew him.

One of the courtiers pointed out Talle to the police.

The officer reacted with surprise that the frightened man before him was indeed the person they were looking for. He announced that the case was essentially solved and asked who could take them to Talle's house.

The Hakimi said Talle himself could take them there.

At that point another police vehicle arrived. Two officers dragged out a man who was chained and restrained. The prisoner was Zaki.

The instant Talle saw Zaki, he bent over and nearly collapsed again.

A police officer ordered him to stand up and move. Talle immediately began protesting his innocence. He insisted that whatever Zaki had done had nothing to do with him. He even suggested that Zaki might have been using his house without his knowledge.

The officer was not interested in hearing the explanation at that moment. He ordered Talle to take them to his house.

The Hakimi remained deeply confused. He had served the people of Lafayette for more than thirty years and had never encountered anything quite like this. In such a small community, even minor misconduct quickly became known. Talle, however, had never been considered troublesome. In fact, he was almost the last person anyone would have suspected of involvement in a serious crime.

The Hakimi began reflecting on how little people sometimes know about one another. If Talle, the quiet, religious and apparently harmless driver, could be suspected of kidnapping, then outward appearances were clearly unreliable.

Still, the Hakimi felt a responsibility towards one of his subjects. He politely addressed the police officer and requested that someone from the community be allowed to accompany them to town so that the community would understand what had happened and why Talle was being taken away.

The officer refused. He assured the Hakimi that the police would later inform him of whatever happened. Nobody from the community was permitted to follow them to town.

The police asked Zaki directly whether Talle was the man he had identified. Zaki initially did not answer quickly enough. An officer threatened him with a baton, and Zaki finally confirmed that Talle was indeed the person.

The officers then moved Talle away from the Hakimi's residence and towards his house. Although the villagers had initially been reluctant to follow the police, curiosity now overcame them. They trailed behind at a distance to see what would happen.

The police entered Talle's house while the villagers waited outside.

After some time, the officers emerged with a young boy who appeared to be no more than thirteen years old.

The discovery shocked the community.

Talle was handcuffed and placed in the police vehicle. Zaki was also there, and the rescued boy was placed between them. The police convoy then drove away from Lafayette almost as quickly as it had arrived.

That was the last time most people in Lafayette saw Talle.

As often happens in a small community, rumours followed the incident. Some people later claimed that Talle had been seen in a northern border town known for smuggling activities. The rumours were never confirmed and gradually disappeared.

What eventually became known more reliably came through an official police message sent to the Hakimi. According to the information received, Talle and Zaki were convicted and sentenced to several years of imprisonment with hard labour for kidnapping and extortion.

Ummi then explains to her children how the kidnapping operation had worked.

Talle was not necessarily the mastermind. Zaki had a better idea of how the crime could make money. Zaki told Talle about a businessman living in the Government Reserved Area, the GRA. The businessman was a friend of Zaki's and had a son who often travelled with his father in his car.

The plan was to abduct the boy because Zaki believed the father would pay a large ransom to recover him.

They eventually succeeded in abducting the child. Somehow they drugged him and carried him away in the middle of the night. They brought the boy to Talle's house in Lafayette and kept him there for approximately one week.

This explained Talle's sudden increase in food purchases. He was no longer buying food only for himself. There was another person hidden inside his house who also had to be fed.

The criminals demanded a ransom from the boy's father. However, the father reasoned that the kidnappers were probably inexperienced because their demand was comparatively small. They initially asked for one million naira and later reduced the amount to two hundred and fifty thousand naira.

Before the ransom arrangement could be completed, Zaki was arrested at the point of collecting the money. His arrest led the police directly to Talle and eventually to the kidnapped boy hidden in Lafayette.

When Ummi finishes the story, Omar is impressed. He remarks on the lesson that people should not judge others too quickly based on appearances.

Ummi immediately connects the story to Omar's coming university life. She reminds him that he will soon meet many new people and that he should not automatically trust everyone simply because they appear friendly or respectable.

Omar assures her that he will make friends but will be careful.

Teemah jokingly tells their mother that if Omar likes someone, he will probably trust the person completely. Omar protests, but Ummi repeats her warning. Whatever he does, she tells him, he should avoid getting mixed up with bad company.

Omar asks whether she means criminals like kidnappers.

Ummi explains that she means bad company generally. University students can get into serious trouble through many kinds of misconduct, including examination malpractice.

She refers to examination malpractice by the shortened expression EMAL. Omar asks what the letters mean, and she explains that EMAL refers to examination malpractice and that the offence is known by different names.

The mention of examination malpractice reminds the family of Salma.

Ummi asks whether they remember her. Bint immediately raises her hand as though she were answering a classroom question. She correctly identifies Salma as the young woman who embarrassed herself during registration by criticizing university lecturers without realizing that the lecturer was standing beside her.

Ummi is pleased that Bint remembers the earlier story and jokingly asks the others to applaud her. The children clap and laugh.

Ummi then adds an important detail about Salma that the children do not yet know. The university where Ummi met Salma was not Salma's first university.

The children want to know how Ummi discovered this.

Ummi explains that Salma herself later told her. The two women eventually became friends.

Then Ummi reveals why Salma had left her previous university: examination malpractice had driven her out.

That revelation immediately creates another question. The children want to know exactly what happened to Salma.

Chapter Three ends at that point, shifting the narrative away from Talle's hidden criminal life and towards Salma's past, her university experiences and the examination-related trouble that changed the direction of her education.

Ummi continues the story of Salma by going back to the period of her registration. Salma entered an office carrying her registration documents firmly against her chest. She was barely twenty years old and was in the prime of her youth. Her appearance immediately attracted attention. She was confident about her beauty and dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a fitted top that emphasized her figure. She appeared very conscious of the effect her appearance had on men and seemed to enjoy the attention she received.

The lecturer in the office was Dr Dabo, a highly disciplined man who had built a reputation over many years for taking his work seriously. He was not known for inappropriate relationships with female students and had never been associated with such behaviour. He had spent more than ten years at the university and had earned the respect of both students and colleagues because of his discipline and fairness.

Dr Dabo was particularly strict about punctuality. He believed that students who arrived after him for a lecture had no good reason for being late. His reasoning was simple: if the lecturer could arrive on time, students should be able to do the same. Students therefore understood that once he entered the classroom, latecomers would have difficulty joining the lecture.

Yet when Salma walked into his office, Dr Dabo unexpectedly found himself affected by her appearance. He was disturbed by his own reaction because it contradicted the disciplined image he had maintained for years. He reminded himself that he had supervised and taught many students and could not allow one young woman to damage his reputation.

He tried to handle Salma's registration as quickly and professionally as possible. Salma introduced herself as a 100 Level student who had been directed to him because he was the Level Coordinator and needed to sign her forms. Her confidence amused him. She explained that she had already undergone screening and had been sent to his office afterwards.

Dr Dabo examined her forms carefully. Everything appeared complete. He signed the necessary sections and could simply have allowed her to leave. Instead, after she thanked him and moved towards the door, he called her back.

Salma turned around. Dr Dabo asked her to sit because he wanted to ask a few questions. Even he seemed aware that the explanation sounded weak. Salma nevertheless sat down and waited.

He asked where she came from. Salma immediately wondered why her state of origin had anything to do with registration, but she answered. Dr Dabo then awkwardly asked whether he could get to know her personally.

Salma immediately understood the direction of the conversation. She had already suspected that something like this might happen. Rather than being impressed that a university lecturer was interested in her, she became angry. She reminded Dr Dabo that he was a lecturer and that her parents had sent her to university to study, not to become involved with lecturers. She questioned the morality of lecturers making advances towards their students and asked what kind of example such behaviour gave young people.

Her response struck Dr Dabo painfully because he knew there was truth in it. He had spent years building a reputation for discipline, yet in a few minutes he had allowed himself to behave in a manner he would normally condemn. He apologized.

Salma did not soften immediately. She told him that even if there were no other men left in the world, she would not willingly go out with someone like him. She then stormed out of the office.

Once Salma left, Dr Dabo was overwhelmed with shame. He could hardly believe what he had done. For more than ten years he had resisted such temptations, yet he had nearly damaged his professional reputation because of a brief attraction to a student. He imagined the consequences if Salma reported him to the university authorities. He wondered how he could possibly defend himself before a disciplinary committee if he were accused of making advances towards a student.

He prayed that the matter would end there. He promised himself that if he escaped the situation without disciplinary consequences, he would become even more dedicated to his duties and would never again allow such a lapse in judgment. The experience became a private warning to him about how quickly a respected reputation could be damaged.

Salma, meanwhile, left the office briskly. Once outside, she stopped thinking about Dr Dabo and continued with the next stage of registration: securing hostel accommodation.

Hostel registration presented its own challenges. Salma was eventually allocated a room with three other students. The four young women came from different parts of Nigeria. Salma herself was from the North. Tomiwa was from the West, specifically Ibadan. Ngozi came from Imo State in the East, while Ada came from Benue State, which she preferred to describe as part of the Middle Belt.

Initially, Salma did not like the idea of sharing a room with them. The problem was not the physical condition of the hostel. In fact, the hostel was highly sought after. Queen Amina Hall was considered one of the desirable female hostels and many students wanted accommodation there. Salma's dissatisfaction came mainly from the fact that she had no control over who her roommates would be.

The accommodation process did not allow students to select their roommates freely. Once payment had been made online and the hostel allocation process completed, the computer system assigned rooms. A student could choose a room where space existed, but she could not necessarily choose the particular individuals who would occupy it with her. Once the allocation was completed, roommates had to learn to live with one another, usually for the next two semesters.

Salma therefore found herself sharing a room with Tomiwa, Ngozi and Ada whether she liked it or not.

As time passed, however, the women discovered that their first impressions and differences did not prevent them from becoming close. Tomiwa was perhaps the liveliest of them. She was bright academically and had ambitions of becoming a singer. She followed music, entertainment, fashion and the latest campus trends closely. If there was a new craze or fashionable development, Tomiwa was likely to know about it. Salma gradually became close to her.

Ngozi was very different. She was quiet and reserved and often appeared withdrawn. Yet she was exceptionally generous. Whenever she cooked, she rarely prepared food only for herself. She invited her roommates to eat with her. Even when they initially declined, her persistence and generosity eventually made communal eating a normal part of their hostel life.

The four roommates began cooking together and taking turns. Their differences in cultural background gradually became a source of interest rather than division. They introduced one another to foods from their respective regions.

On one occasion, when it was Ada's turn to cook, she prepared indomie jollof. Instant noodles were popular among students because they were inexpensive, easy to prepare and ready within minutes. Salma jokingly asked what special ingredients Ada was using and teased her about whether they might find something unexpected in the food.

The conversation turned to regional foods. Tomiwa asked whether the others would like to try a delicacy from her part of the country: snails. Salma reacted with surprise at the thought of eating snails. Tomiwa explained that the snails she meant were not the tiny ones Salma might be imagining but large snails regarded as a delicacy in the West.

Ngozi pointed out that snails were also eaten where she came from. The girls agreed that whenever one of their families visited, they could bring traditional foods from home so that everyone could experience them.

This became exactly what happened. Whenever Tomiwa's parents visited, they sometimes brought snails. Ada also received local foods from home, including rat delicacies associated with her area. The roommates tasted foods they might never otherwise have tried.

Salma introduced them to danwake, a delicacy associated with the Hausa people. She explained how it could be prepared using flour and other ingredients, shaped into small portions and boiled until ready before being eaten with the preferred accompaniment.

The girls discovered that food was one of the things that strengthened their friendship. Their backgrounds, religions and ethnic identities differed, but eating and living together helped them discover similarities beneath those differences. Salma and Tomiwa were Muslims, while Ada and Ngozi were Christians, yet religion did not prevent them from functioning as a close group.

Their friendship was not completely free of conflict. At one point there was an unpleasant disagreement involving Salma and Tomiwa, but Ada and Ngozi intervened and helped resolve it. Such incidents became part of the process through which the four learned how to live together.

One evening Salma was returning from home. It was already late, around eight o'clock. She was standing by the roadside at Kwangila and could not find a vehicle to take her back to the university.

A black Mercedes-Benz approached and stopped near her. Salma remained where she was rather than immediately entering. The driver reversed and positioned the car closer to her. The passenger window came down, and the occupants asked whether she was heading towards the university.

Salma looked carefully at the vehicle and the men inside. They appeared respectable and affluent. Ordinarily, she might have rejected a ride from strangers, but it was late, there were two men rather than one, and the distance to the university was not particularly far. She reasoned that they would have little opportunity to harm her before reaching the school. She nevertheless remained cautious.

The man driving introduced himself as Labaran and told her they were heading in the same direction. Salma entered the car but did not immediately relax. When the men asked for her name, she said she would tell them before getting out.

The car eventually reached the Main Gate of Ahmadu Bello University. The men offered to take her directly to her hostel instead of leaving her at the gate, and Salma accepted.

During the journey, Salma realized that the quieter man in the car was Habib. Labaran was more talkative. Because the car belonged to Habib and he appeared wealthier and more reserved, Salma quickly concluded that he was the more important of the two men.

Salma was not particularly impressed merely because they were driving an expensive Mercedes-Benz. She was accustomed to male attention and considered herself capable of attracting wealthy men if that was what she wanted. She did not want to appear overly excited by the car or by the men's apparent status.

When they arrived outside Queen Amina Hall, Salma noticed that neither man stepped out to open the door for her. She considered the idea of expecting a man to come around and open a perfectly functional car door unnecessary and theatrical. She got out herself.

Before she left, Habib reminded her that she had promised to reveal her name. Instead of giving her real name, Salma suddenly told him that her name was Tomiwa.

Habib introduced himself properly and asked for her telephone number. Salma then went one step further. She gave him Tomiwa's phone number instead of her own.

Habib attempted to call the number immediately, but the call did not go through. Salma explained that the phone might be switched off or that its battery could have run down. In reality, she knew the phone belonged to her roommate.

Habib and Labaran told her they would return the following day. Salma was relieved when the call failed because she did not want the men to discover immediately that she had given them another person's number.

She said goodnight and hurried into the hostel.

When Salma entered the room, Tomiwa was sitting on the edge of the bed. The hostel room was compact. Although rooms had originally been designed for two students, increasing student population had led to additional beds being introduced so that four students could occupy the space. The students in this particular room were fortunate because they did not have additional unofficial squatters sharing the already limited accommodation.

Salma and Tomiwa occupied one side of the room, while Ngozi and Ada occupied the other. Study tables stood near the window.

Tomiwa welcomed Salma by jokingly referring to her as a Hausa girl, while Salma answered with an equally playful Yoruba reference. Such ethnic jokes had become part of their friendship. The girls understood that the remarks were not meant seriously and often teased one another using exaggerated stereotypes.

Without much introduction, Salma told Tomiwa that she had found a boyfriend for her.

Tomiwa was not impressed. She said she had not come to university looking for a boyfriend and joked that the male students around them could hardly take care of themselves, much less girlfriends.

Salma told her to calm down and listen. She explained that two men had given her a ride from Kwangila to the school. When they asked for her telephone number, she had given them Tomiwa's number.

Tomiwa initially did not understand. When she realized what Salma had done, she stared at her in disbelief. Salma admitted that she had indeed supplied Tomiwa's number rather than her own.

She explained that the men had already attempted to call, but luckily Tomiwa's phone had been switched off. They had promised to return the next day and would probably call again.

Tomiwa complained that Salma had created a situation without her consent. Salma responded that Tomiwa was free to answer the call or reject it. She also suggested that if curiosity got the better of her, she could meet the men and find out what they wanted.

Salma then told Tomiwa their names: Labaran and Habib. She explained that Habib appeared to be the wealthier and more important one, while Labaran was the more talkative man and the one driving.

Their conversation was interrupted when Ngozi and Ada entered. They immediately sensed that something interesting had happened and asked what was going on. Salma casually told them that she had found Tomiwa a boyfriend. The girls laughed.

The incident closes the chapter with a new complication. Salma has avoided giving the men her own identity, but by using Tomiwa's name and telephone number she has unknowingly drawn her roommate into a relationship with two strangers, setting up what happens the following evening.

At about eight o'clock the following evening, Tomiwa's phone rang. She reacted immediately because, although she had pretended not to care much about the men Salma had described, she had been expecting the call throughout the day. She had never been on a blind date before and had no idea what to expect. The whole arrangement sounded strange, but curiosity had taken hold of her.

Tomiwa was socially confident and attracted attention easily. She was beautiful and carried herself with confidence. Unlike Salma, however, she did not usually accompany her friends when they went out with men. Her reluctance was not based on shyness. Rather, she had a strong personality and sometimes appeared intimidating. She also dressed expensively and carried herself in a way that made some people assume she belonged to a social level above theirs.

When the phone rang, Tomiwa answered and deliberately switched on the speaker so that Salma, Ngozi and Ada could hear the conversation.

The caller asked whether he was speaking to Tomiwa. She confirmed that he was. The man introduced himself as Habib and reminded her that he and his companion had given her a ride from Kwangila the previous evening.

Tomiwa was now forced to maintain the identity Salma had created for her. Habib asked whether she could come outside. When Tomiwa asked where they were, he explained that they were parked at the same place where they had dropped her the previous night.

Tomiwa agreed to meet them.

The moment she ended the call, her roommates encouraged her to go. They teased her and assured her that the men were unlikely to harm her. Tomiwa, however, suddenly became nervous. She imagined the possibility that the strangers could be kidnappers or members of some dangerous group. She wondered who would rescue her if she entered a car with people she did not know.

Despite these fears, she prepared herself and left the room.

Outside the hostel she found the same black Mercedes-Benz Salma had described. The front passenger seat was empty, so Tomiwa entered the car. She was surprised to discover two men inside rather than only one.

Labaran was sitting in the back. He jokingly announced his presence and said he had moved to the back so that Tomiwa could sit comfortably in front. Instead of reassuring her, his position made Tomiwa even more uneasy. She had read crime and thriller stories in which someone seated behind a passenger could attack from the rear. Her imagination became active, and she worried about how easily a person behind her could harm her.

Tomiwa immediately asked Labaran to move to the front seat. He obeyed without argument.

Habib observed Tomiwa closely. He appeared confused because the woman sitting beside him was not the same woman he remembered giving a ride to the previous evening. He did not immediately confront her. Instead, he drove away from the hostel.

Tomiwa asked where they were going. Habib told her they were going to a restaurant. He drove towards a place called Frizzlers, located near the school and surrounded by shops.

Before they reached their destination, Habib asked Labaran to get down and buy several items, including fried rice, chicken, milk, tea, beverages, sugar and other provisions useful to students living in a hostel. Labaran obeyed immediately and went to make the purchases.

Tomiwa noticed something significant in the way Labaran responded to Habib. Although Labaran had been driving the expensive car, he appeared to take instructions from Habib without argument. Tomiwa now understood that her earlier assumption about their relationship had been wrong. Habib was clearly the person with greater authority.

Once Labaran was away, Habib confronted the issue that had been troubling him. He told Tomiwa directly that she was not the woman he had met the previous night.

Tomiwa became defensive. She told him that if he had expected someone else, he should not insult her by questioning her identity. She pointed out that he had called a telephone number and she had answered it. If he had picked up the wrong woman, that was his problem.

Habib apologized and explained that he had not intended to insult her. He simply knew that the woman he met the previous evening looked different.

Tomiwa eventually told him what had happened. Her friend had not wanted to give the men her own number and had supplied Tomiwa's instead. Curiosity then made Tomiwa decide to answer the call and see what would happen.

Habib admitted that he had liked the woman he met the previous evening. Tomiwa teased him about openly declaring that he liked someone whose face he could hardly remember properly.

Their conversation gradually became less tense. Tomiwa explained that she had initially asked Labaran to move because she was worried about having someone sitting behind her. Habib laughed at the extent of her imagination.

As they talked, Tomiwa became curious about Habib himself. Habib seemed surprised that she had not asked who he was. Tomiwa told him that her friend and his driver had already mentioned his name, and she was not particularly interested in politicians.

Habib revealed that he was involved in politics. Tomiwa said politicians often created rather than solved problems. Habib disagreed. Their exchange remained playful rather than hostile, and Habib appreciated the fact that Tomiwa was willing to speak frankly to him.

He asked whether there was any hope that they could become friends. Tomiwa did not reject the possibility outright. Habib was delighted.

He then asked how many girls occupied Tomiwa's hostel room. She told him there were four.

Habib handed her a bundle of five-hundred-naira notes. He instructed her to put the money away before Labaran returned because he did not want his driver to see it. The amount was forty thousand naira in total. Ten thousand naira was intended for each of Tomiwa's three roommates, while twenty thousand naira was specifically for Tomiwa.

Tomiwa was surprised by the generosity but accepted the money.

At that moment Habib's phone rang. It was Labaran informing him that the purchases were ready. Habib told him to bring them.

Labaran returned carrying so many provisions and beverages that Tomiwa joked that they looked as if they were buying supplies for children in a boarding school. Habib explained that the provisions were for Tomiwa and her roommates.

Tomiwa was genuinely grateful. She thanked Habib repeatedly. Somewhere during the interaction she began addressing him affectionately as Alhaji.

Habib drove her back to the hostel entrance and promised to call again.

The moment Tomiwa returned to the room with the provisions, her roommates erupted in excitement. They shouted and celebrated what she had brought. Ngozi quickly reminded everyone that such noise could attract other students in the hostel.

Hostel life required a degree of caution when food was involved. Students who smelled food or heard celebrations could easily appear at the door hoping to share. Ngozi therefore suggested that they lock the door and switch off the light so that people outside would think nobody was available.

They did exactly that.

The roommates were amazed by the amount of food and provisions Tomiwa had received. They thanked her, embraced her and began enjoying themselves.

Salma initially appeared happy as well. She jokingly told the others that they should thank her because the gifts would not have come without her. Tomiwa agreed that if Salma had not created the situation, none of them would have received anything.

But Salma's mood changed when Tomiwa produced the money.

Tomiwa dropped a bundle of fifty-naira? No. She produced the money Habib had given her and explained how it was to be divided. Each roommate would receive ten thousand naira, while she herself would keep twenty thousand.

For a moment everyone was stunned.

The excitement intensified, but Salma became uncomfortable. She felt that the situation was unfair. In her mind, she had been the person Habib originally saw. She had been the one given the ride. Yet Tomiwa, whom she had involved almost as a joke, was now receiving the greatest benefit.

Salma complained that Tomiwa was behaving like a friend who had forgotten who created the opportunity. She suggested that Tomiwa had changed her attitude because money was now involved.

Ngozi objected to Salma's accusation. She pointed out that Salma herself had shown affection and excitement towards Tomiwa before the money appeared. If money had changed anyone's behaviour, Salma needed to consider whether jealousy was affecting her own reaction.

Salma told Ngozi to stay out of the matter. Ngozi refused to remain silent and accused Salma of behaving unreasonably.

Ada became worried that the argument might damage the friendship they had built. She reminded them that they had lived peacefully together and should not allow money or gifts from men to divide them.

The argument was becoming serious when there was a knock at the door.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

The person knocked again. Because the roommates had locked the door and switched off the light to prevent other students from discovering the food, nobody wanted to answer.

The knocking eventually stopped.

The girls sat quietly in darkness around the food. The ridiculousness of the situation gradually became obvious. They were four friends hiding in a dark room because of gifts brought by men, while simultaneously fighting among themselves over those same gifts.

Ada eventually suggested that they stop quarrelling and preserve their friendship. The tension eased.

When they were certain the visitor had gone, Ngozi unlocked the door and switched the light back on. The roommates talked about what had happened and agreed that there was no point holding grudges over men they barely knew.

Tomiwa nevertheless warned that the generosity might not be completely innocent. Men did not usually spend such amounts of money without eventually expecting something in return. The gifts could therefore create obligations later.

This was also what Tomiwa herself had been thinking. It was only their first encounter. If Habib was already giving them so much, she wondered what he might expect later. Still, the girls enjoyed the provisions and accepted the money.

Salma then surprised everyone by asking when Habib and Labaran were coming again.

The others could hardly believe the question because she had just been criticizing the situation. Salma explained that there were two men, not one. If Tomiwa was interested in Habib, Salma could still deal with Labaran.

But Salma had already worked out a different plan privately. She was attracted to the possibility of maintaining contact with Habib, who appeared to be the more powerful and wealthy man. She did not intend simply to surrender the entire opportunity to Tomiwa.

The narrative then explains the relationship between Habib and Labaran. Their connection was deeper than that of a politician and his driver. They had grown up together as childhood friends. As they became adults, their lives took different paths. Habib advanced academically and politically, eventually becoming a politician and entering the State House of Assembly. Labaran became a Local Government driver.

Despite the difference in status, Habib did not abandon his old friend. When his political career advanced, he brought Labaran along as his driver. The arrangement might have looked like an ordinary employer-driver relationship to outsiders, but their friendship went back much further.

The difficulties created by Tomiwa's visitors eventually passed. In fact, the disagreement over the gifts ultimately strengthened the roommates' relationship because they had confronted jealousy, suspicion and money without allowing those things to destroy their friendship.

Time moved forward and university life returned to its normal rhythm. The academic session approached its end.

The four roommates had an unusual record: they had begun as roommates and remained together throughout their final semester. Despite distractions, relationships and social life, they performed well academically. All four were B students and expected to graduate with Second Class Upper degrees in their respective disciplines.

They were admired by many female students because they managed to balance their social lives with academic performance. Whatever relationships they had with men, they did not allow those relationships to destroy their studies. As graduation approached, they became increasingly focused on completing their degrees successfully.

Then examination period arrived.

The university environment changed. Students who had previously appeared relaxed suddenly began studying intensely. With the semester system, students generally knew approximately what grades they needed in their final papers to maintain or improve their cumulative grade point averages.

For Salma and her roommates, the final paper was particularly important. It was Moral Philosophy, a General Studies course compulsory for all of them regardless of their individual disciplines.

At this point Ummi briefly pauses her narration because she notices Bint whispering something into Omar's ear. Ummi looks at them questioningly.

Omar laughs and explains that Bint has been wondering how all the stories about Salma's relationships and roommates connect to Salma being expelled from university.

Ummi tells them that this is precisely why they need to listen carefully. Everything she has been explaining provides the background to what happens next.

The chapter therefore ends with Salma and her roommates preparing for their final examination, particularly the Moral Philosophy paper that will unexpectedly become the turning point in Salma's university career.

Ummi takes another sip of her zobo and continues telling the children Salma's story. Teemah is completely absorbed in the narration and is breathing heavily with excitement. Ummi notices how much Teemah enjoys stories but immediately brings the discussion back to the Moral Philosophy examination that was about to change Salma's life.

Moral Philosophy was a General Studies course taken by students from different disciplines. Because it was not part of Salma's main academic specialization and because it was their final paper, many students regarded it as comparatively easy. They had already spent years studying their principal courses, so a General Studies examination at the end of the programme did not appear particularly threatening.

Salma and her roommates had taken the course lightly for much of the semester. Like many other students, they had not attended every lecture. They assumed that they could prepare adequately shortly before the examination.

This year, however, they decided to take their preparation more seriously. They organized tutorials and discussed the likely examination topics. They studied past questions extensively until they believed they knew the answers to virtually everything that had previously been asked.

By examination day, Salma felt prepared. She was also particularly conscious of her appearance because it was the last paper. Her roommates had jokingly asked whether she was planning to meet one of her male friends after the examination because she looked unusually attractive. Salma denied having such a plan and said she simply wanted to look her best.

The examination was scheduled for seven o'clock in the morning. Salma and the others arrived early, approximately thirty minutes before the paper was due to begin. Security procedures were taken seriously. The students were searched before being allowed into the examination hall.

Eventually the question papers were distributed.

The moment Salma read the questions, she realized that she was in serious trouble.

The topics she and her friends had concentrated on throughout the night did not appear in the paper. Their predictions had failed completely. The questions seemed unfamiliar, and Salma could not immediately produce answers.

She looked around the examination hall and became even more worried. Other students were already writing rapidly. The sound and movement of people filling their answer booklets made Salma feel even more isolated. She had prepared for the possibility that familiar past questions would be repeated, but the examination had gone in another direction.

Beside Salma sat a student named Kolawole Abdul, commonly called Kola. He had a reputation for being one of the brightest students around. His academic ability was well known, and he was already writing confidently.

Salma repeatedly looked towards him, hoping that he might somehow help her. She could not openly speak because an invigilator was nearby. The lecturer supervising their area was a female lecturer who had already noticed that Salma was the only student around her who had not started writing.

The lecturer's attention made the situation even more dangerous. Salma could not move freely without attracting suspicion.

Students sometimes used what they called student magic during examinations: communicating without obvious speech, using gestures, expressions or subtle movements to attract another student's attention. Salma attempted to use such signals with Kola.

Kola eventually noticed her distress. He himself was approaching an important moment in his university career. This was his final examination, and he had spent years building a strong academic record. He had never wanted to jeopardize his graduation through examination misconduct.

Still, he felt sympathy for Salma.

The invigilator briefly appeared to move away. Seeing an opportunity, Kola secretly passed Salma material containing answers to the first two questions.

Salma quickly took it.

Almost immediately, the lecturer returned.

Salma opened the material and began copying the answers into her booklet as quickly as she could. Her behaviour changed dramatically. A student who had spent more than thirty minutes unable to write anything was suddenly writing rapidly.

That sudden transformation attracted the lecturer's attention.

The lecturer walked quietly towards Salma's desk and positioned herself behind her. Salma was so focused on copying that she did not realize someone was standing there. She continued transferring information from the unauthorized material into her answer booklet.

After watching for a short while, the lecturer touched Salma.

Salma reacted with alarm. She immediately began demanding to know what she had done and whether the lecturer had actually seen her doing anything wrong.

But the evidence was still in Salma's hands.

The lecturer did not argue with her. She went to the front of the hall and called the security officer responsible for examination matters. She instructed him to bring the examination-malpractice form, commonly referred to as the EMAL form.

Omar recognizes the term because Ummi had earlier explained EMAL to them. Teemah mocks him lightly, and Ummi notices that all her children are still following the story closely.

The security officer returned with the EMAL form. The lecturer confiscated the unauthorized material from Salma.

Salma was required to complete the examination-malpractice form. Kola was asked to sign as a witness.

At that moment Kola experienced some relief because the lecturer had not actually seen him physically hand the material to Salma. He hoped that perhaps he could escape being directly implicated.

Salma initially resisted completing the form. She protested and argued about her innocence, but refusing to fill an EMAL form was itself another offence. Eventually she was persuaded to sign.

The security officer assured her that she would still be allowed to continue writing the examination. Completing the malpractice form did not mean she had to stop the paper immediately. The disciplinary process would follow later.

After Salma signed, Kola signed as the first witness. Another female student sitting on the opposite side of Salma was asked to sign as the second witness.

The lecturer told Salma that if she was fortunate, the incident might not go beyond the Head of Department's office.

After the Moral Philosophy examination ended, Salma followed the lecturer to the HOD's office.

Salma was deeply anxious. She did not know the new Head of Department personally. She had spent much of her university life deliberately avoiding unnecessary relationships with teaching staff. She had male friends, but they were generally outside her department and outside the academic staff around her. She believed this had protected her from complications.

Now she regretted not knowing the HOD better. She had heard that he was a kind man who cared about students, but she had no personal relationship she could rely on.

As she walked towards the office, her mind raced through the possible consequences. This was her final semester. She had already spent years at the university. She was writing her last examination. To be caught for examination malpractice at precisely that point seemed almost unbearable.

The invigilator attempted to reassure her. She said their HOD was generally benevolent and interested in the progress of his students. She had previously taken cases to him and students had sometimes been treated with understanding. Perhaps Salma's case could also be resolved without becoming a major disciplinary matter.

Salma bitterly asked why the lecturer had not simply ignored what she saw if she wanted to help her.

The lecturer explained that she could not do that. There were rules governing examinations, and other officials were present. Even if she had personally chosen to ignore the offence, the security officer could have noticed and reported it. The Head of Department could also question why proper procedure had not been followed. Ignoring obvious malpractice could have cost the lecturer her own job.

The lecturer therefore insisted that she had followed the required procedure and told Salma not to assume that the case was already hopeless.

As they approached the HOD's office, Salma began praying intensely. She was not usually particularly devout, but fear had suddenly made prayer extremely important to her.

She reminded herself that, as far as examination malpractice was concerned, she was a first offender. She knew that universities sometimes treated first offenders differently from habitual offenders, and she hoped that this might help her.

She promised herself that if she escaped the situation, she would never engage in examination malpractice again.

Her prayer became increasingly emotional. She reflected on her own behaviour and admitted privately that she had not always lived as a model person. She asked God for mercy and promised to change. She even thought about her appearance and the attention she normally received, recognizing how easily she had allowed other concerns to occupy her life.

Eventually they reached the office of the Head of Department.

The last time Salma had visited the HOD's office, a different person had occupied the position. The department had changed leadership since then. Salma had not visited the new HOD since he assumed office, so she did not know him personally.

The secretary asked them to wait while she informed the HOD that they wanted to see him.

She went inside and then returned to ask the invigilating lecturer to enter first. Salma, Kola and the other witness remained outside.

Inside the office, the lecturer greeted the secretary or HOD's staff member, Dr Amina, and explained the nature of the matter. It was an EMAL case involving a final-year female student. The relevant questions were asked: whether the student had been caught with unauthorized notes, whether she had signed the form, and whether witnesses had also signed.

Everything had been properly documented.

The students were then called inside.

Salma entered last.

The HOD listened to the circumstances and responded formally. Rather than attempting to decide the case himself, he instructed the lecturer to prepare the necessary documents and forward the matter to the Examinations and Ethics Committee for further processing. The offence had gone beyond what he could personally resolve.

This was precisely what Salma had feared.

At this point Omar becomes completely absorbed in Ummi's narration. He remarks that the story sounds almost like fiction and says that if his mother were not the person telling it, he might have doubted that events had happened that way.

Ummi says nothing and continues.

Omar asks what eventually happened to Salma.

Ummi explains that when Salma appeared before the university committee, the investigation did not end with her alone. During the proceedings, Salma implicated Kolawole Abdul as the person who had supplied the unauthorized material.

Kola therefore became part of the examination-malpractice case as well.

Ultimately both Salma and Kolawole Abdul were expelled from the university.

Omar is shocked by the severity of the punishment, particularly because Kola had been an academically brilliant student and was on the verge of completing his degree. He begins to question how such a promising student could lose everything over one act of helping another student cheat.

Ummi uses the moment to reinforce the principle behind the university's action. Rules remain rules, she tells him. If he does not want to be caught by a rule, the safest course is not to break it.

Omar looks at his mother in a way that reveals another question he has not stated directly. Ummi understands what he is thinking.

She tells him that Salma did not simply accept her fate quietly. She knew what was at stake and fought desperately to avoid expulsion.

The chapter closes there. Salma has been caught cheating in the last examination of her final year, Kolawole Abdul has been implicated, and the university's disciplinary process has resulted in expulsion. But Ummi makes it clear that there is still more to the story because Salma attempted to use every avenue available to save herself before accepting the consequences.

After Salma was summoned by the Examination Malpractice and Ethics Committee, she understood that her situation had become extremely serious. The committee asked her to report within a week, but like many students caught in examination malpractice, she initially considered avoiding the summons. The university's rules were strict, however, and refusing to appear would not make the case disappear. Students found guilty of examination malpractice could face severe punishment, including expulsion.

Salma was in her final semester, which made the situation even more painful. She had spent years at the university and was almost at the end of her programme. The possibility of losing everything at this stage frightened her badly.

She confided in Tomiwa and asked for advice. Salma was looking for some powerful person who might intervene before the committee reached a final decision. She considered using Labaran to reach Habib, believing that Habib's political influence might help her.

Tomiwa understood Salma's desperation and did not dismiss the idea. Habib was a politician and appeared to have important connections. If anyone outside the university could help, Salma believed someone like him might be able to do it.

Through Tomiwa and Labaran, Salma eventually got access to Habib. When she entered his office, she was struck by its impressive appearance. Habib occupied an important political position and the office reflected his status. His name identified him as Honourable Habib Lawal, Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

Salma explained that she was facing expulsion because of one General Studies examination and pleaded with him to help her. Habib listened and asked what exactly she expected him to do.

Salma said that the person who could influence the matter was Professor Dabo. This immediately connected the present crisis with the lecturer Salma had encountered earlier in her university life. Dr Dabo had since become Professor Dabo.

Habib asked why she believed Professor Dabo could help. Salma explained that the relevant university committee was headed by someone she believed could be influenced. She had gathered information about the Chairman of the Examination Malpractice and Ethics Committee and believed money could be used to obtain a favourable outcome.

Habib questioned the wisdom of bribing a university official. Salma nevertheless insisted that money could solve the problem. In her desperation, she had come to believe that everyone had a price if the right amount was offered.

Habib eventually discussed the amount that might be required. Salma believed a few hundred thousand naira could be enough. Habib agreed to provide money to help her pursue the matter.

The arrangement, however, placed Salma in another morally dangerous situation. Instead of accepting responsibility for examination malpractice, she was now trying to escape punishment through bribery and political influence.

The person Salma eventually dealt with was not Professor Dabo at all. A man named Mohammed Kabir presented himself as the person capable of helping her. Kabir successfully convinced Salma that he had the authority or connection necessary to influence her case.

Salma trusted him because she was desperate. She handed over a substantial amount of money believing that the payment would be used to secure a favourable outcome from the university authorities.

But Kabir was an impostor.

He had no legitimate authority to resolve Salma's examination-malpractice case. Instead, he took advantage of her fear and collected her money.

When Salma eventually discovered that she had been deceived, the situation became even worse. She had already lost her place at the university and had now also lost the money intended to save her.

The deception could not simply be ignored because the money was connected to Habib. Salma therefore had to explain what had happened.

An investigation was made into Mohammed Kabir's identity and activities. Information gathered about him showed that he was not merely someone who occasionally deceived desperate students. He had a much darker background and moved within criminal circles.

Kabir was associated with gambling and other questionable activities. The people trying to recover the money needed someone who understood that world and could locate him without immediately attracting attention.

This brought another man, Zaki, into the story.

Zaki was experienced in dealing with dangerous situations. He was not presented as an innocent or respectable figure. He had connections with criminals and understood how such people operated. Because of that background, he was considered useful for tracking Kabir.

Habib himself was uncomfortable dealing with Zaki. He remembered an earlier incident in which Zaki had been used when Alhaji Adamu's son was kidnapped. The kidnapping had required someone who could move among criminals and negotiate with them. Zaki had performed that role.

During that earlier case, a ransom of one million naira had been demanded. The police had been informed, but the primary concern was getting the kidnapped boy back alive. The incident showed that Zaki could operate in situations where ordinary people would be afraid to go.

Habib had heard troubling stories about Zaki's background. There were rumours that he had once been involved in smuggling activities around the border between Nigeria and Niger. Habib did not know how much of the story was true, but he knew enough to understand that Zaki was not someone to deal with casually.

Nevertheless, Kabir had to be found.

Zaki began tracing him. He eventually discovered that Kabir was a regular gambler and identified one of the gambling places he frequently visited.

Rather than confronting Kabir immediately, Zaki waited for the right opportunity. He watched him carefully, knowing that someone involved in gambling and criminal circles might have dangerous companions.

One night Kabir was gambling and experienced an unusually successful run. Against the normal expectations of the gambling group, he decided to leave while he was still ahead rather than continue playing until he lost his winnings.

That decision attracted attention. The leader of the gambling group, known as the Kartagi, was surprised that Kabir wanted to leave after winning. Nevertheless, Kabir left with his money.

Zaki followed him.

Kabir did not initially realize he was being trailed. Before he could reach a safer and brighter part of town, one of the gambling group's thugs also came after him. The thug attacked Kabir from behind, apparently intending to recover the gambling money.

A fight followed. Kabir struggled with the attacker and realized that the situation was more serious than an ordinary street confrontation. During the struggle, Zaki entered the fight.

Kabir initially thought Zaki might be helping him, but he quickly discovered that Zaki had his own reason for being there.

Zaki overpowered Kabir and demanded the money connected to Salma. He made it clear that he knew about the money Kabir had collected while pretending that he could solve Salma's university problem.

Kabir tried to explain himself, but Zaki was not interested in excuses. He demanded the money and physically assaulted him until Kabir revealed where it was.

Zaki recovered the money from Kabir. He also warned him about deceiving students by impersonating university officials and collecting money from them.

The recovery of the money brought one part of Salma's desperate attempt to save herself to an end. But the larger problem remained. Money, deception and influence had not reversed the university's disciplinary decision. Salma still had to live with the consequences of the examination-malpractice case.

After Zaki recovered the money from Mohammed Kabir, the money passed to Labaran. The recovered amount was three hundred thousand naira.

Labaran did not return the entire amount to Habib. He kept part of it for himself and gave Zaki his own share for carrying out the dangerous task of tracing and confronting Kabir.

Labaran justified what he was doing in his own mind. He reasoned that Habib was wealthy and politically powerful and would not be badly affected by the loss. He also believed that Habib did not necessarily know the exact amount recovered from Kabir. This allowed Labaran to convince himself that keeping some of the money was not really betrayal.

The episode demonstrates that almost everyone involved in Salma's attempt to escape punishment had compromised himself in one way or another. Salma had attempted to use money to influence a disciplinary process. Kabir had deceived her. Zaki used violence to recover the money. Labaran then kept part of the recovered money. What began as one act of examination malpractice had produced a chain of additional wrongdoing.

Ummi pauses her narration and asks for more zobo. Omar has many questions but initially holds them back.

Ummi notices his curiosity and asks whether there is anything he wants to know.

Omar asks how the relationship between Habib and Salma eventually ended. Ummi tells him that she could explain what happened, but Salma herself did not always speak openly about every detail.

Omar expresses disappointment at the apparent absence of justice in some of the events. Ummi understands his frustration. She acknowledges that people do not always see justice immediately in the world, while reminding him of the belief that ultimate justice exists beyond human institutions.

Their conversation turns briefly to death and the hereafter. This leads Ummi to another important event in Salma's life: the death of Salma's father.

Eight days after her father's funeral, Salma returned to the hostel. Her appearance had changed dramatically. She looked exhausted and emotionally drained. Her roommates, Ngozi, Ada and Tomiwa, could immediately see that she was suffering.

The friends sympathized with her and allowed her time to settle back into the hostel. Eventually, however, a conversation began about the funeral and the way different communities handled death and burial.

Ngozi questioned why Salma's people appeared to bury their dead so quickly. To her, the speed seemed surprising.

Tomiwa tried to explain that the practice was connected to religious and cultural beliefs. In Salma's tradition, once death had been confirmed, burial was not unnecessarily delayed. The body was prepared and buried as soon as reasonably possible.

The discussion became a broader comparison of funeral practices. The girls considered why some communities delayed burial for days, weeks or even longer, allowing relatives and friends to travel from distant places before the funeral.

They discussed the emotional effect of keeping a dead body for an extended period. Tomiwa argued that prolonging burial could also prolong the suffering of the family. Each new group of visitors might cause relatives to relive the pain repeatedly.

Ngozi raised questions about prayers for the dead and the meaning of common expressions associated with death. The conversation moved to the phrase 'rest in peace' and what people actually meant when they used it.

As usual, the roommates approached the subject from different religious and cultural backgrounds. Their disagreement was not hostile. Instead, it reflected the pattern of their friendship: they questioned one another, joked, argued and tried to understand beliefs different from their own.

Eventually the discussion became too painful for Salma. She had been listening while her friends debated funeral customs, but the subject was not theoretical for her. She had just lost her father.

She suddenly began to cry.

The roommates immediately stopped arguing and gathered around her. They apologized for allowing their discussion to become insensitive while Salma was still grieving.

They comforted her quietly, and the day ended on a sombre note.

Ummi explains that Salma and her roommates remained close until they eventually left school. Their friendship survived their arguments, cultural differences, relationships and the many difficulties they experienced together.

Omar comments that he enjoys hearing about the relationship among the girls, although he would prefer the story without the sad parts. Teemah teases him because the story is largely about women.

The teasing then shifts to Omar's own life. Teemah reminds him that he is expecting a smartphone as a reward connected to his admission into the university. She jokes that she might rush to their father and tell him everything before Omar gets the opportunity himself.

Omar reacts strongly because he wants to be the person who tells his father about his admission and reminds him of the promised smartphone.

Ummi intervenes in the conversation and uses the smartphone issue to introduce another lesson. Technology, she explains, has advantages and disadvantages. A smartphone can be useful, but its value depends on how a person uses it.

This leads her back to Salma.

After losing her father, Salma began to change. She became more serious about her life and more conscious of the consequences of her previous behaviour. The death affected her deeply and encouraged her to reconsider some of her choices.

Salma eventually told Ummi that she had decided to become a better and more responsible person. She also entered a serious relationship with a man named Salim.

Ummi noticed that Salma's behaviour changed significantly. She was no longer as careless in her conversations or as eager to attract attention. Her relationship with Salim appeared more serious than her earlier relationships.

One day Ummi noticed that Salma was not chatting as frequently on her phone as she normally did. When Ummi asked why, Salma explained that Salim, her fiancé, had experienced something disturbing through social media.

That experience had changed his attitude towards online relationships and eventually helped settle him into a more committed life.

This becomes the bridge into the final chapter, where Ummi tells her children what happened to Salim after he bought his first smartphone.

Salim's experience begins after he buys his first smartphone, a Samsung device from the Note series. The phone is expensive, attractive and technologically advanced, and Salim quickly becomes fascinated by everything it can do.

Because he is not yet married, he has plenty of freedom to explore the phone and social media. Even Salma does not initially object to him enjoying himself online before marriage brings greater responsibilities.

Salim begins downloading social-media and dating applications. He joins different platforms and discovers that meeting people online is remarkably easy. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Badoo, 2Go, WeChat and other services expose him to a huge number of people.

Before long, Salim begins chatting with women online. The excitement of communicating with strangers and seeing attractive profile photographs becomes addictive.

One day, while Salim is with his friend Lawal, he tells him excitedly that he has found a new girlfriend.

Lawal immediately becomes suspicious. He knows how easily people can misrepresent themselves online and asks Salim what he really knows about the woman.

Salim shows him her photograph. The woman appears extremely beautiful. Salim is fascinated by her appearance and believes he has found someone exceptional.

Lawal asks whether Salim has actually met her physically.

Salim admits that he has not. Their entire relationship has taken place through online conversations and telephone calls.

The woman has a beautiful voice, which further convinces Salim that she must be as attractive as her photograph suggests. Salim believes the voice fits the image of the beautiful woman he has been admiring.

Lawal remains doubtful and warns him that photographs and online identities can be deceptive.

Eventually Salim arranges to meet the woman in person. Because he is nervous about meeting someone he has known only online, he asks Lawal to accompany him.

Lawal initially wonders why he should accompany Salim to meet a supposed girlfriend, but he eventually agrees.

Salim goes to the meeting expecting to see the beautiful woman from the profile photograph.

The reality shocks him.

The woman who appears is completely different from the person in the photograph. Salim realizes that the attractive profile picture did not actually represent the person he had been chatting with.

He returns to Lawal disappointed and embarrassed. Lawal cannot stop laughing when Salim explains what happened.

Salim complains that he had been deceived by someone using another person's photograph as a display picture.

Lawal uses the incident to explain some of the dangers of online relationships. People can create false identities, use stolen photographs, lie about where they live and make promises they never intend to keep. Someone may appear to live in a distant city while actually living nearby. Others may manipulate a person emotionally and later begin demanding money.

Lawal explains that online deception can take many forms. A person may pretend to be romantically interested in someone and then invent emergencies requiring financial assistance. Others may arrange meetings for criminal purposes.

He warns Salim that the consequences can go beyond embarrassment. A supposed romantic meeting could become an opportunity for robbery, extortion or kidnapping.

Salim then reveals that this was not actually his first dangerous encounter arising from social media.

He tells Lawal about another woman named Natasha.

Natasha had sent Salim a friend request online. Her profile contained many attractive photographs, and Salim became convinced that she was beautiful. The photographs appeared consistent enough to make the account believable.

Salim and Natasha began chatting regularly. Their conversations gradually became more intimate, and Natasha eventually invited him to visit her.

She gave Salim directions to a house located near the university area. She said she would not be able to come out during the afternoon and insisted that he should visit between eight and nine o'clock in the evening.

Salim accepted the arrangement.

As he approached the area that evening, he called Natasha. She continued giving him directions over the phone.

At one point Salim thought he could hear male voices in the background. The sound made him uncomfortable, but he ignored his instincts and continued towards the location.

He eventually reached a poorly lit area and followed the directions into what appeared to be a cul-de-sac.

Salim was normally careful about parking. Whenever he reached an unfamiliar location, he preferred to position his car so that he could drive away easily without having to reverse or turn around under pressure. Following this habit, he manoeuvred the car so that it faced the direction from which he had entered.

That small decision later became extremely important.

Natasha appeared.

Unlike Salim's previous online disappointment, Natasha actually looked as attractive as her photographs. Salim was immediately impressed. She appeared confident and physically attractive, and for a moment his earlier suspicion disappeared.

He asked her to enter the car.

Before anything else could happen, a heavily built stranger suddenly appeared beside the vehicle with a gun.

Another man entered the car from behind.

Salim immediately realized that he had walked into a trap.

The armed men ordered him to move from the driver's seat to the back of the vehicle. They told Natasha to join him there.

Natasha's behaviour revealed that she was part of the setup. Although she acted frightened and pleaded with the men not to hurt them, Salim noticed that her words created distance between herself and him. He understood that she was involved in the conspiracy and had been used as bait to lure him into the isolated location.

Salim began praying silently. He feared that the men might rob him, kidnap him or kill him.

The criminals tried to start his car.

But the car refused to move properly.

The problem was connected to the vehicle's automatic transmission. Salim knew how the car worked, but the robber attempting to drive it did not fully understand the system.

The men became frustrated and threatened Salim. Eventually they ordered him back into the driver's seat and instructed him to drive.

This unexpectedly gave Salim an opportunity.

Once he was behind the wheel, he started driving while the armed men remained inside the vehicle. He knew that attempting to escape physically would be extremely dangerous, but controlling the car gave him one advantage the criminals had not considered.

As they travelled, Salim began thinking rapidly about how to escape.

He accelerated.

Approaching an intersection, he made a sudden and dangerous manoeuvre. He swerved sharply when another vehicle appeared. The movement threw the occupants around inside the car.

Salim maintained control of the vehicle and continued driving.

When he finally looked around, the armed criminals and Natasha were no longer inside. They had apparently jumped or fallen out during the confusion and disappeared into the darkness.

Salim did not turn back to investigate.

He drove home shaken but alive.

Lawal is amazed by the story. He asks whether Salim reported the incident to the police.

Salim says he did not. Since he had escaped safely, he did not want to create additional trouble for himself by becoming involved in police investigations. He simply wanted the experience behind him.

Lawal cannot believe that Salim, after surviving such a dangerous incident, still went on to become involved with another woman he met online.

Salim admits the foolishness of it. The experience with the false profile finally reinforces the lesson that he has been slow to learn.

After these incidents, Salim becomes much more cautious about social media and online relationships. He no longer treats every profile, photograph or conversation as genuine simply because it appears convincing on a smartphone.

Not long after the incident, Salim becomes engaged to Salma.

Ummi's story now returns completely to her children.

Teemah turns to Omar and uses Salim's experiences to warn him about the smartphone he is so eager to receive. She reminds him that even older people have been deceived through social media and asks what makes him think he will automatically avoid the same dangers.

Omar appeals to his mother.

Ummi tells him that she is not against him owning a smartphone. He has earned the promised reward. What matters is how he uses it. Technology itself is not necessarily the problem; careless use can create serious consequences.

Omar promises to be careful.

His immediate concern, however, returns to his father. He still wants to tell him about the university admission and obtain the promised smartphone before Teemah spoils the surprise.

Ummi proposes a solution.

Rather than allowing one person to rush ahead with the news, the entire family will wait for their father to return. As soon as he arrives, they will announce Omar's admission together. Ummi believes their father will be so excited by the news that Omar will have a good opportunity to remind him about the promised phone.

The children love the idea.

They remain together, waiting for Daddy to return.

The novel therefore closes where the family conversation began: with the children and their mother waiting for their father. But the situation has changed. Omar began the day thinking mainly about his admission into the university and the freedom and excitement that university life would bring. Through Ummi's stories, he has now been exposed to the dangers and responsibilities that accompany that new stage of life.

Salma's experiences have shown him how quickly pride, careless choices, examination malpractice, dishonest attempts to escape consequences and unhealthy relationships can alter a person's future. Salim's experiences have shown him that modern technology and social media can be useful and exciting while also exposing careless users to deception and danger.

Omar's admission remains a joyful achievement, but Ummi's stories have prepared him to understand that entering university is not merely a change of school. It is a major transition requiring responsibility, judgment and self-control. In that sense, the university experience becomes the life-changing journey around which the novel is built.