A Nigerian man, Ifedayo Johnson, currently living in the UK, has boldly declared his readiness to take an English proficiency test against a British man to prove that Nigerians are fluent in English.
Johnson made the statement in response to derogatory comments from a Briton named Angantýr, who claimed that many Nigerians working in the UK’s care sector “barely speak English.”
Determined to defend his countrymen, Johnson added that if he fails the challenge, he’s willing to pack up and leave the UK entirely.
The British man said; “Why did we make our care sector critically dependent on Nigerians who barely speak English…”
The remark didn’t go down well with Ifedayo Johnson, who swiftly responded with a post challenging Angantýr to an English language showdown.
He said; “Hello @BasedNorthmathr I’m openly challenging you to an English Language Skills test. This would entail Writing, Listening, Speaking and Listening tests. If your overall score is higher than mine, I’ll quietly pack my bags and leave this country within 24 hours. But if I score higher than you, you’ll keep your mouth shut and never again question or disrespect the English Language skills of any Nigerian. Let me know when you’re ready so we fix the date and other modalities. About time y’all are put where you belong.”
The British man accepted the challenge, and the showdown is set for Sunday, May 18. In a follow-up post, Ifedayo emphasized that the contest is all in good spirits and confirmed it will take place at 7:45 p.m.
His words: “Hello everyone, @BasedNorthmathr and I have both agreed to have the English Language Skills Challenge on Sunday, 18th May, 2025 at 7:45pm. The challenge will take place on Twitter Space and we’re working on enabling screen sharing so everyone can watch us take the test in real time. I will be sharing further details and modalities in due time. The Twitter Space will be created shortly and everyone will be able to set up reminders. If you’d like to support or contribute in any way, feel free to send a DM. PS: This challenge is all in good spirit. A friendly intellectual exercise designed to showcase our language skills with mutual respect. Let’s get this done and make a statement.”
According to his profile, Ifedayo was the 13th Senate president of Tai Solarin University students’ union.