NewStats: 3,261,097 , 8,173,037 topics. Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025 at 08:29 AM l4q6x

A recent online English proficiency challenge between a Nigerian man and a British man stirred conversations across social media — and not just for the final score.

The viral face-off was triggered by debates around whether Nigerians speak “proper English,” with many defending the country's long-standing fluency despite local accents and dialectal twists.

At the end of the test, the British contestant scored 83, while the Nigerian scored 79. While many took the result at face value, the Nigerian participant clarified that the challenge only covered two out of the four basic language skills — which happened to favour native speakers.


In a follow-up tweet, he wrote:

“Nigerians do not barely speak English and that has been proven.
The challenge was to have the test done in the 4 Basic Language Skills but we couldn’t come to on that and only did 2.
Meanwhile, those were the strong forte of native speaker of any language.”

Despite the narrow loss, the Nigerian still stands by his bold statement — that Nigerians speak English, and do so impressively.

“Yes, I boasted and I’m still boasting. If you have a problem at boasting about what you know you’re good at, that’s a YOU problem







How it started

https://m.lindaikejisblog.com/2025/5/briton-wins-english-proficiency-face-off-against-nigerian-challenger-2.html

If you like, repeat it a thousand times. In our fathers' generation, you could say they spoke good English. In our generation, I did think we spoke good English until I arrived England. I encountered a Zim babe at a night Club in 2015 and we exchanged numbers and started texting. This babe came to see me within a couple of weeks. I was flabagasted and floored when she told me she came because, unlike many Nigerians she had encountered, I write "good English grammar". I couldn't swallow that comment and spent hours on an endless debate about it. Since then I have had similar encounters. Then I began to notice it myself in written english compositions with fellow Nigerians. The jury is still out because we do not have data points on how well we write/speak the English Language. But it seems to me extremely foolish to challenge someone to a test of his native language. The challenger picked the wrong english man. He thought his pick is one of the millions of english riffraffs who litter run down estates across the UK. He went to debate an educated guy. We should stop being emotive about issues concerning Nigeria, myself inclusive. It is this mindset that make us challenge our brothers who tell us the truth about how rotten things have become in Nigeria. It is that blind loyalty to being a Nigeria that is killing us all.

Has he fulfilled his promise to deport himself within twenty four hours ?

Nonsense, the white folks didn't speak any African language before they divided Africa up like a birthday cake.

Yet, the English native could only do better by only 4 points against a foriegner on his own language and you are exhibiting your hate bigotry and foolishness disguise as being correct. If that is not shameful i do not know what is.

What English language were your fathers speaking that we can not attain today ?!


[quote author=Dbemba post=135427244][/quote]

KillahPriest:
Has he fulfilled his promise to deport himself within twenty four hours ?

no mind the loud mouth. Challenge the smelly braggart, no problem, but why include a condition you know damn well and good you won't follow through on?

Great Wole Soyinka sef no follow through on him threat, na Ifedayo go come follow through 🤣

If that dude was an Igbo guy, trust me, this whole discussion would've taken a tribal dimension.

Treadway:
no mind the loud mouth. Challenge the smelly braggart, no problem, but why include a condition you know damn well and good you won't follow through on?

Great Wole Soyinka sef no follow through on him threat, na Ifedayo go come follow through 🤣

noisemakers and chest beaters ehn

chai see finish

If true, I said it. With evidence.

That's why it's best to stick with your own language

He tried!

But next time, don't be too sure of yourself as you never can tell the ability of your opponent.



You're forgiven!

nlfpmod

Many Nigerians are like him

They love chest beating and nothing to back it up

If you catch them at their game, they start changing the story

Congratulations to my Naija Brother.

As far as I am concerned the he has clearly ed the message to that Briton and indeed other Britons.

I am sure the Briton would be stunned and will be thanking his God that he won by those 4 points.

By the way, why didn't the Briton score 98 or even 100 as per NATIVE English speaker. Naija guy gave him a run for his money, jooor!

Well, all I can say is that the owner of the town won't allow his town to split in his time.

The challenger took it too far.
It's their thing that's why you as the challenger you are wrote it as a test .

But the test was supposed to be in 4 parts, they only did two which makes it inclusive. So our naija brother can renegade on his vows.

And I presume that the Briton did that without even much practice.
I think sometimes we are just too loud and competitive for our own good.

Everything no be chochocho.

Lol Naija UK people and Noise Making is in them Like Peak Milk nobody make noise reach Dem...



Dere Noise don reduce a bit lately as Uk economy don wipe Dem Oraimo cord or fear of been deported...


Imagine bragging about someone else mother tongue... Language wey he don dey speak since wen dem born him and no other language to u wey b say u get ur Mother tongue before u start to learn English....

Na US I know say doz one English no straight dere English no dey coret...

Where is the video?

Nice one

Make the guy just deportt himself and be honorable.

No more TOEFL!

It is just so so funny... In spite of the fluency and proficiency of our Nigerian actors and actresses in English language... Anytime the Western media are about to cast a Nigerian in any movie, what you hear is rough, uncouth English like kunta kinte's English in ROOTS...