Oxford English Dictionary adds 20 Nigerian words to its recent update

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Mohammed Taoheed

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From time immemorial, the English have borrowed words from other languages. Hence, seeing a French or Greek word used in English with a different or similar meaning is unsurprising. 

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a repository of word stories that capture their development as they unfold. For a word to be considered for inclusion in the OED, it must first be added to the dictionary’s ‘watch list’ database. Contributions to this watch list can include OED’s reading programmes, crowdsourcing appeals with the general public, and increasingly automated monitoring and analysis of massive databases of language in use.

Against this backdrop, the Oxford English Dictionary recently introduced about 20 Nigerian words in its December 2024 update. These words are commonly used in the Nigerian social discourse. 

Before this, the last time Nigerian words were added to the OED was in the January 2020 update. 

As part of DUBAWA’s media and information literacy programme, this article highlights the newly added words from the December 2024 update.

The newly added words are:

1. Agbero: This usually refers to someone collecting money or harnessing influence through criminal activity. It is also a term for a tout at a bus stop or motor park.  
2. Area boy: This refers to a boy or young man who extorts money from people. An area boy is usually involved in criminal activities such as theft, drugs, and other unlawful practices.
3. Cross-carpeting: This is a situation whereby a politician moves from one political party to another. 
4. Kanuri: Kanuri is a member of a group of African peoples dominantly living in the Northeastern part of Nigeria, with smaller groups in Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Sudan.
5. Cross-carpet: This refers to the act of leaving a political party and joining another political party.
6. Kobo: This is a former Nigerian currency. It was introduced in 1973 but is no longer in use because it no longer has value in the Nigerian market. 
7. Jand: This means to move to another country. It refers to travelling to a foreign country, especially for education, employment, or economic opportunity.
8. Janded: This has to do with the designation of a person who has travelled overseas; of, relating to, or characteristic of such a person.
9. Naija: This is an informal description of Nigeria. 
10. Abi: This is a Yoruba word used to ask a question for confirmation.  
11. Japa: This Nigerian lingo refers to leaving the country for a foreign destination, for a greener pasture. 
12. Suya: This is a Hausa term for steak. It is made by sticking thinly sliced pieces of spiced meat on a skewer and placing it over a fire to roast before it is eaten. 
13. Eba: This is cooked starch from dried grated cassava flour, known as garri. It is usually eaten as a swallow with local soups.
14. Edo: Edo is the name of a state in South Southern Nigeria.
15. Gele: This is a locally made headtie made of many fabric materials, including Aso-oke, Adire, Damask, Sego, etc., won by women in some West African countries, notably Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. 
16. Yahoo: This refers to fraudulent acts perpetrated on the internet, usually involving requests for advance payment for services or products that are ultimately never provided. 
17. Yahoo boy: A person, especially a man, who commits fraud on the internet.
18. Yarn dust: It means to say nonsense.
19. 419: It refers to what Nigerians call internet scams, especially ones asking for money upfront. It is a code for a fraudulent act usually perpetrated on the internet involving requests for advance payment in return for a substantial share of a large amount of money.
20. Adire: Adire is a textile material made by Yoruba women with patterns obtained by various dyeing methods.