By Alexis Uchendu
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), has officially added 20 Nigerian slang terms and expressions in its latest update, marking a milestone for Nigerian English.
Notable additions include “Japa,” “agbero,” “eba,” “419,” and “Yahoo Boy,” all widely used in Pidgin and Nigerian culture.
Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a Nigerian English consultant for the OED, announced the update on LinkedIn, calling it a recognition of Nigeria’s linguistic creativity.
“It’s a pleasure to see the OED highlight our rich culture and distinct expressions,” he wrote.
He also contributed to compiling the words and recording their pronunciations for the dictionary’s online platform.
The newly added words span various aspects of Nigerian life, from food and fashion to socio-political terms and everyday slang.
Other included terms are “abi,” “adire,” “area boy,” “cross-carpeting,” “gele,” “jand,” “janded,” “Kanuri,” “Kobo,” “Naija,” “suya,” and “Yarn Dust.”
This inclusion underscores Nigeria’s growing influence on global language and culture, reinforcing its impact on the evolving English lexicon.
