Bumps of Life

About the Book

Ohamadike Onwuchekwa is a successful man and the managing director of an international engineering company.  He lives happily with his wife and twin girls in cosmopolitan Lagos.  His family is sheltered, sophisticated and upper crust.  His wife has complete trust in him and believes that he has no skeletons in his cupboard.  However, Ohamadike was not born rich and responsible.   He was once a mischievous village boy with a knack for getting into trouble and wiggling his way out of it. His native intelligence and quick thinking had kept him one step away from trouble. “Bumps of Life” chronicles his path to adulthood woven in twists and hilarious intricacies.

Ohamadike’s father wants him and his twin brother to receive formal education and goes ahead to enroll them at the village school.  On the first day in school, Ohamadike escapes severe punishment form his teacher by share wit but he devices a way to avoid going to school. His plans backfire when he’s teacher and other children pay him an unexpected visit at home and find him playing truancy on top of a tree.  He is publicly humiliated and that begins the transformational process for him. 

Ohamadike’s favourite time is when he is out playing with his friends and peers in the village.  He is the smallest among his peers but the object of Odinbu’s bulling tendencies.  However what he lacked in statue, he made up in articulation and quick thinking.  He was nick named ‘the wind’ because he was light on his feet.  His mouth was only at rest when he slept. 

Ohamadike’s uncle, Chief Ifediegwu, is very affluent and lives in the city.  He comes home to celebrate the coronation of his eight year old son as an Ozo – a prestigious chieftaincy title despite the fact that his younger brother lives in poverty.  Ohamadike makes friends with his cousin Obindiora, who later invites him to holiday at his home in the city.  It would be Ohamdike’s very first time of leaving the village.  The life changing experience he is exposed to changes his mindset and he begins to aspire and dream of a more affluent life outside his village.   

Unfortunately, his dream seems truncated when his father dies after a protracted illness.  Chief Ifediegwu’s house is burgled and he blames the incidence on Ohamadike and his brother.   He throws them into jail but is forced to release them when the Onwuchekwa kindred pressurize him and threaten to ostracize him from the community.  Chief Ifediegwu becomes angry and wants nothing to do with Ohamadike and his family anymore.  

Things take a downwards plunge when his twin brother is rusticated from school and leaves the village entirely.  His mother’s health deteriorates and he flunks his final examination.  Angela his love interest betrays him.  To drown his sorrow, broken heart and disappointments, Ohamadike resorts to a riotous life and decadent behavior.

Odinbu, the village bully and Ohamadike’s arch rival seems to progress.  Unknown to the villages, he burgles Chief Ifediegwu’s house and leaves the village entirely.  He believes that he has discovered his destiny as a successful criminal early enough and embraces it.  In his base in Benin, he embarks on a series of robberies which sees his gang members killed and some incarcerated.  Odinbu flees and returns to the village to hide and re-strategize.  In a show of his ill gotten wealth, Odinbu throws a house warming party for the house he built for his mother.  He gets into a brawl with Ohamadike and things begin to unravel. 

Ohamadike discovers who actually burgled his Uncle’s house and eventually reconciles with his Uncle who also has also gone through personal pains and financial loss.  With the help of his friend, Ohamadike retraces his steps and comes to the understanding that he is the architect of his own destiny. With the assistance of Ohamadike, Odinbu is caught and punished for the crimes he committed.  Ohamadike eventually wins a scholarship to s

About the Author

Ugochi Chienyenwa Oshai studied Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. She equally holds an MBA from Federal University of Technology Akure. She currently works in a service delivery environment with international standards as a Human Resources Practitioner. She is a coach, facilitator and an inspirational speaker. She lives in Lagos with her husband and two children. Bumps of life is her first novel.