Wednesday, May 14, 2025 - A spirited Twitter exchange has gone viral after Nigerian user Ifedayo (@ifedayo_johnson) publicly challenged a British user, @BasedNorthmathr, to an English proficiency battle.
It all started when @BasedNorthmathr made a sweeping comment
questioning why the UK care sector had become “critically dependent on
Nigerians who barely speak English.” In response, Ifedayo called for a fair
fight — an IELTS-style English test covering reading, writing, speaking, and
listening.
“If your
overall score is higher than mine,” Ifedayo said, “I’ll pack my bags and leave
this country within 24 hours. But if I score higher, you’ll never again
question or disrespect the English skills of any Nigerian.”
The Brit accepted the challenge, agreeing to take the same
online IELTS practice test.
“I’ll get
back to you,” he added, signaling that the battle of brains might just go live
soon.
But this viral moment isn’t just Twitter drama. It touches a
nerve at the heart of a larger debate.
The UK government is already planning to introduce mandatory
annual English language tests for migrant graduates who remain in the country
through the Graduate Route. This new policy aims to ensure that only the “best
and brightest” stay in the UK — a move that has raised eyebrows, especially
among educated immigrants from countries like Nigeria, where English is the
official language.
If the test happens, many Nigerians are rooting for Ifedayo
to prove a point — that fluency isn’t defined by accent, and that Nigeria's
place in the global conversation isn’t one to be mocked.
See the tweets below…
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