Chapter 1: Dusk — The Lekki Headmaster

Narrative Summary – Chapter 1: Dusk:

The chapter begins on an ordinary morning at Stardom Schools in Lekki, Lagos, where the morning assembly is underway. As was customary on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students and staff had sung the second stanza of the national anthem — “Oh God of Creation, direct our noble cause…” — after which they settled into neat rows under the watchful eyes of teachers, ready for the day’s activities. When the principal, Mr. Adewale “Bepo” Adebepo, steps onto the podium from the back of the assembly hall, his unusual gaitGait is simply a person's or animal's manner of walking. It is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid surface. More immediately alarms the school community. Instead of his usual confident stride, he walks hesitantly, appearing visibly troubled.

As he reaches the front, Mr. Bepo takes the microphone from the chapel prefect, but no words come out. He opens his mouth as if to speak, yet the expected warm greeting never arrives. Instead, tears begin to stream down his face, catching everyone — students and staff alike — off guard. Before anyone can make sense of it, he breaks down completely, sobbing in front of the bewildered assembly.

The vice principal, Mrs. Grace Apeh, quickly steps forward. After unsuccessfully trying to get a response from Mr. Bepo, she instructs the Chemistry teacher, Mr. Justus Anabel, to conclude the assembly and dismiss the students to their classes so the situation can be managed quietly.

Once the students disperse, Mrs. Apeh, the school nurse, and other staff members escort Mr. Bepo to his office. For more than half an hour he sits there weeping uncontrollably, with colleagues gently questioning him, yet he offers no explanation for his emotional state. Rumours begin to spread rapidly among parents and the wider school community, prompting concerned calls to the vice principal’s phone.

Concerned about the fallout of this public display, Mrs. Apeh decides to contact the Managing Director (MD), Mrs. Ibidun Gloss, who is attending a function outside the school. Mrs. Gloss promptly returns to the school, deeply surprised because just the previous day, Stardom Schools had celebrated a 90% success rate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Teachers had been rewarded for this achievement — snacks, bottles of wine and ₦20,000 each for SSS3 teachers, with ₦30,000 rewards for those whose students achieved distinctions. Two teachers, Mr. Obong Ukake and Miss Taye Kareem, had been reprimanded for students scoring Ds — a testimony to the school’s high standards.

Mrs. Gloss arrives by 9:30 a.m. and summons Mr. Bepo to her office, hoping to understand what triggered his breakdown. However, he remains withdrawn and unresponsive, weeping once more. In an attempt to comfort him, she calls in Mr. Ope Wande, a Physics teacher who also serves as a pastor, thinking his spiritual counsel might ease the principal’s distress. After gentle probing for about ten minutes, Mr. Wande concedes that Mr. Bepo will not open up and suggests they contact his wife. Mr. Bepo provides his wife’s phone number — an international number — but the outgoing call fails to connect.

Faced with this emotional crisis and conscious of how the situation could affect the school’s image, Mrs. Gloss proposes sending Mr. Bepo home for the day. Pastor Wande, however, objects, worried that leaving him alone might be unsafe given his fragile state. Ultimately, the MD instructs the school’s guidance counsellor to escort Mr. Bepo home to ensure his safety and wellbeing, cloaking the decision in discretion to protect both Mr. Bepo and the reputation of Stardom Schools.

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