Based on the novel The Lekki Headmaster, which poem came to Bepo's mind on his way to renew his passport?

Answer Details

In The Lekki Headmaster, as Bepo travels to Ibadan to renew his passport, the poem that comes to his mind is "Ibadan" by J.P. Clark. This is a well-known West African poem that vividly describes the city of Ibadan with striking imagery - its rusted rooftops, sprawling landscape, and chaotic beauty.

The connection is natural and direct: Bepo is literally on his way to Ibadan, and the city's distinctive appearance triggers his recollection of the poem he knows from his education. This detail also reinforces Bepo's identity as a well-read and culturally aware teacher who carries literary knowledge with him even in everyday situations. The poem's imagery of Ibadan's rustic, crowded landscape may also mirror Bepo's mixed feelings about Nigeria - a place of both beauty and frustration.

The other poems listed - "Night Rain" by J.P. Clark, "Abiku" by Wole Soyinka, and "Vanity" by Birago Diop - are all significant works of African poetry, but none of them is the poem the novel associates with Bepo's journey to Ibadan.