How does The Lekki Headmaster portray the issue of "Japa"?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks how The Lekki Headmaster (the JAMB 2025 UTME recommended novel by Kabir Alabi Garba) treats "Japa", the popular Nigerian term for emigrating abroad in search of better opportunities.

Step 2: Recall the concept In literature questions, "how does the author portray a theme?" is about the overall treatment, not one isolated detail. The novel follows Mr. Dele Alade, a principal in Lekki who faces questions about integrity, family pressure, school life, and whether to stay in Nigeria or leave. The theme is presented through characters who wrestle with conscience, duty, family needs, and hopes for a better life.

Step 3: Test each option

• A. A necessary step for career growth: The novel doesn't present leaving as the only or required route to success. Some characters question whether leaving is really the answer. Eliminate.
• B. A personal and moral dilemma: Characters weigh loyalty to country, duty to students and family, and personal ambition against the pull of better prospects abroad. This is a struggle, not a simple choice. This fits.
• C. A privilege for the wealthy: Money is a factor, but the novel's focus is not on japa as a rich person's privilege. Eliminate.
• D. An easy decision for most Nigerians: The portrayal is the opposite. The decision is shown as emotionally and morally heavy. Eliminate.

Step 4: Answer The novel presents japa as a difficult personal and moral choice, not a simple or automatic one.

Exam tip: In literature questions on themes, be cautious of options with absolute or simplistic words like "necessary," "easy," or "most." Good literary texts usually show complexity, so options describing a dilemma, conflict, or struggle are often the best fit.