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Claim
University of Alberta, Canada, removes Nigeria from the list of other countries whose students must present IELTS & other English tests before admission.
What is IELTS?
The International English Language Testing System better known as IELTS is an international standardized test for the English Language.
IELTS was developed by a team of experts to test individuals that want to study or migrate to English-speaking countries such as the US, UK, Canada et al; the ability to write and speak in English before being given admission.
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ROUNDCHECK Findings
On Saturday, the 4th of June, 2022, a Twitter user @JonalistIsreal had tweeted that “a Nigerian man, Dr. Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi wrote to the University of Alberta, Canada, asking them to remove Nigeria from the list of countries whose students must present IELTS & other English tests before admission.”
With a claim that the University of Alberta has granted the request and Nigeria has been exempted from the list.
“The school has granted the request. Not all heroes wear capes.” The tweet reads.
In less than two days of sharing the information on Twitter, it has generated 477 Quote Tweets, 11.4 Retweets, and 42 Likes, showing that the information has reached out to thousands of people both online and offline.
Checking the comments under the tweet reveals that almost all the people that reacted to it believed the information is true. While others believe it is a way of chasing the clout.
A Twitter user @ONCLEpete tweeted that “this is wonderful news. As it should be, I find it unreasonable to adopt English as my official language and then write a test on it. DOC I just hope the UK, our so-called colonizers would adopt the same.
While @Cadjourney “believe this at your own risk, why lying Doc? Nigeria has always been on the list, this is a big fat lie just to gain more followers and likes, do you even have an idea this false claim could put you into big trouble??? Let’s be mindful of how we deceive our followers biko”
In another tweet, @omotaigga tweeted that “you either didn’t read (to completion) or comprehend what was tweeted, in your eagerness to do whatever it is you intended to do with your tweet. All the best ṣá!”
Contrary, @ProfEmiele tweeted to underscore that Nigeria was not part of the country when he first applied earlier this year and insisted on the people discrediting the good work of Mr. Muyiwa stop that they stop.
“I applied to Ualberta earlier this year and was asked to confirm if my University was one of those exempted from the English proficiency test; though some Nigerian Universities were there, ‘NIGERIA’ was not part of the exempted countries then. STOP DISCREDITING HIS GOOD WORK!!!” – the tweet reads.
The mixture of comments from different people as to whether the news is true or false hence, the need to fact-check.
Further Analyses
ROUNDCHECK assessed Dr. Muyiwa Twitter account, @olumuyiwaayo, it was discovered that he had sent an email on Sunday, May 22, to the University of Alberta and requested that Nigeria should be exempted from submitting English proficiency tests.
While he got feedback that in the meantime, Nigeria would be added to the list of countries in which English is the official language of instruction.
According to the tweet, “About 2 weeks ago, I initiated a request via email, Linkedin, and Twitter to the graduate school of the University of Alberta asking that applicants from Nigeria should be exempted from submitting English proficiency tests.”
“I followed up with a reminder on Monday and as of today, I am happy to inform you that Nigeria has been added to the list of countries in which English is the official language of instruction. All the best to applicants!
Together, we can achieve a lot!!!” – part of the tweet reads.
A keyword search on google to see whether the information has made it to media outlets in Nigeria, clearly shows that Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, a Nigerian postdoctoral research fellow in Canada, recently got the University of Alberta, Canada, to exclude Nigerian students from its English language requirement, on Premium Times.
Also, a visit to the university website officially announced that Nigeria has been recognized by the University of Alberta and added to the list of countries in which English is the official language of instruction.
Conclusion and Verdict
Though the name of Nigerian universities that would be exempted from the English proficiency test (a system used to test an individual’s ability to write and speak in English) has not been added to the second category at the time of writing this report.
ROUNDCHECK findings revealed that the tweet claiming the University of Alberta, Canada, has removed Nigeria from the list of countries whose students must present IELTS before admission is TRUE.
