Nigeria, Jan. 7 -- The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has announced the inclusion of Nigerian and West African words and expressions in its global lexicon.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the OED confirmed the addition of twenty-four new words from Nigeria and Ghana, its two largest English-speaking countries, as well as from Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The new entries include Abeg, Ghana Must Go, Biko, Akpanlogo, Light Soup, Mammy Market, and Moi Moi, among others, reflecting the growing influence of West African English on the global stage.

Many of these words serve multiple grammatical functions, including as nouns, verbs, and adverbs.

For example, "Obroni" is both a noun, first recorded in 1918, and an a...