Ebere Wabara
You are welcome to this first edition this year: “You may wonder how he combines all these and remain (remains) relevant.”
“Broll Nigeria distributes safe delivery (safe-delivery) kits to expecting (expectant) mothers” (THISDAY MARKET PLACE, December 15)
“Union Bank organizes capacity building (capacity-building) programme for SMEs”
“Here are photographs of some personalities at (on) the occasion.” (THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER EVENTS, December 15)
“Why there’s gang up (gang-up) against Buhari — Osinbajo”
“The affected staff must be given fair hearing (a fair hearing).”
“When he came in, he said he doesn’t (didn’t) belong to anybody…” (Politics & Power, December 5)
“… As relatives, neighbours mourn deaths (death) of four men killed by hoodlums at birthday party”
From a full-page advertorial in THISDAY of November 24 signed by Management Team of Caverton Offshore Support Group come the next two blunders: “…your giant strides in bridging the gap in the aviation
industry by providing support to the major players is (are) an attestation of (to) your commitment…”
“Being one of the most sought-after stylists and designer (designers) in the country…”
“Tension over an alleged decamping (defection) of Kogi Deputy Governor” (THISDAY headline, November 24.
“We believe that boosting the non-oil revenues and continuing fiscal consolidation plans must be pursued by oil exporting (an oil-exporting) country like Nigeria.” Please take note of the article and the hyphenation.
“The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted various contrabands (has intercepted contraband) with…” ‘Contraband’ is non-count.
“Looking very smart in his made-in-Aba attire, he beamed with smiles…” (THISDAY PLUS, December 8) The non-performing governor could not have beamed with a frown! Therefore, yank off ‘with smiles’ in the interest of classical prose.
“We are proud to be associated with you and wish you many more success (successes).”
“FG re-opens (reopens) Ijora-Wharf Bridge in Lagos”
“Ailment knocks-out (knocks out) Solanke against Bournemouth”
“This is surely the reward of (for) hard work…”’
“The Boards (sic), Management and Staff of Fujian Lanshun hereby felicitates (felicitate) with…”
“…we are proud of your uncommon dedication, hard work (hard work), honesty and fear of God in all your business life that has (have) led to this glorious award to you.”
“…especially in our collective quest to restore good governance and democratic ideals in (to) our country.”
“…is a thoroughbred grassroot (grassroots) politician.”
“Banyana Banyana coach craves first AWCON title at Falcons (Falcons’) expense”
THE GUARDIAN of December 1 circulated two improprieties: “He said it is (was) sad that a government that prides itself as having integrity has shamefully shown it lacks integrity by failing to honour agreements reached with the union but resulted (resorted) to harassment…”
“Obi, Igbos (Igbo) and the wisdom of the West” (OPINION Page Headline, December 17)
“But in the welter of these realignment of forces…” Rethinking development: this realignment of forces.
VANGUARD of August 28 circulated three goofs: “The fear along the room and corridor (corridors) of power of a sovereign national conference…”
“It is not in doubt that most of the commuters in the luxurious (luxury) buses that ply…”
“…Aba traders constitute a large proportion of the passengers on commercial aircrafts (aircraft) that fly….”
“Major reorganisation of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which may lead to mass retirement and sack of its men and officers, now looms.” Get it right: a major reorganisation or major reorganisations, as context demands.
“One of the most outrageous abuses occurred…” Spelling in the lurch: occur, occurrence, occurred.
“I do not buy the argument that the advent of electronic mails and network computers have rendered postal services absolute.” Not yet time for structural proximity: the advent of electronic mails and network computers has (not have).
“In doing this, however, he must be faithful to the mandate of the ECOWAS Heads of Government under whose platform he operates.” Agenda: on (not under) whose platform he operates
“As Nigerian editors converge in (on) Katsina for their…”
“A government white paper on the demonstration….” Sheer abuse of words! ‘White paper’ is a report issued by Government to give information. Let’s respect words. After all, reporting is all about telegraphic brevity.
“UNN students union honour vice chancellor” What is happening? Sub-editors of these days show traces of illiteracy! This way: UNN students’ union honours VC.
“The fact that some people eat food that does nothing for their physical well-being put them in the class of the poor.” The fact … puts.
“The richer nations who (sic) have more than enough should in this moment of great need and expectation by the poor masses (the masses are basically poor) be their brothers’ keepers.” Standard sociolinguistics: ‘brother’s keeper’—whether one or more.
“Any further discourse on it, some might say, amounts to nothing but over-flogging a dead horse.” You flog, not over-flog, a dead horse, talking idiomatically.
“Like few (a few in this context) years ago, a life cow was allegedly buried…” ‘Life cow’ in place of ‘live cow’ portrays sub-literacy.
“Opponents of private universities claim that they will aggravate the unemployment problem in the country.” ‘Unemployment’ is certainly a problem — so why compound it by adding another ‘problem’?
“Denmark has just played an historic role in…” ‘An historic role’ is the type of expression Ndaeyo Uko calls Elizabethan English! Current syntactic trend: ‘a historic…’
“One of the enduring concerns at the workshop concerned the role and orientation of the military with regards to our democratic aspirations.” Received English: ‘as regards’ or ‘with regard to’
“…the two ethnic rivals are now creating the impression that they are about to re-open (no hyphen) their old wounds and embark on another round of strive (strife).