SATURDAY EXPRESSION
With ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948
DAILY Sun Front Page of January 30 welcomes us today with this infraction: “Oba of Benin reads riot act (the riot act) to…”
“…to stimulate employment, build more roads and other social amenities or solve one social problem or the other.” Going by the contextual pluralism of the extract, the right expression should be: one social problem or another.
“Group assures on rancour free PDP Congress” Still on this recurrent blunder: who did the group assure? And this: rancour-free….
“Adewusi condemns do or die politics” This way: do-or-die politics.
“The race to Government House in Anambra has began in earnest as….” (THISDAY POLITICS TODAY, December 28) Without any effort: The race has begun….
“The non Passage (sic) of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) did not help matters….” 2016 Review: The non-passage (take note of the hyphen and lower case ‘p’)….
“I seize this opportunity to express gratitude to my readers for their commitment and patronage.” I take (not seize) this opportunity to thank Mr. Bayo Oguntunase for updating me on the latest trend with regard to ‘infrastructures’.
Last week’s edition of this medium offered our teeming readers copious goofs: “Ex-president Umaru Yar’Adua was on his sick bed….” No eavesdropping: in his sick bed. One of the clerics who allegedly visited him sat on his sick bed. Got the point?
“…a gubernatorial aspirant in Ogun State under (on) the platform of….”
“After all, as they say, ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’ ’’. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
“Knowing what to wear and how to compliment (complement) it goes a long way….”
“Ibru attempted murder: Court frees Al-Mustapha, others” (DAILY SUN Bold Headline, December 2) I just hope that the Voice of The Nation is not being mischievous: the publisher of The Guardian newspapers could not have attempted suicide, let alone murder, as DAILY SUN ignorantly insinuated! A rewrite: Murder attempt on Ibru: Court frees Al-Mustapha, others. Please, let us not premeditate murder in the name of journalism.
Vanguard of December 29 sent out the following errors: “The state, therefore, does not deserve the treatment being currently meted to it”. Classical expression: being meted out to it.
“Chief of Naval Staff advocates for increased productivity via industrialization” When used as a verb, ‘advocate’ does not admit ‘for’. Let us avoid verbiage in headline casting: Naval Chief advocates increased productivity.
“For the university to recommend that students should pay for the damages while they have….” A common mistake: except in legalese, ‘damage’ cannot be pluralized.
“…rather than investigating and finding out who were involved and check against future re-occurrence: Beyond recurrence, can an event yet to take place happen in the past?
“…the university is pointing its accusing fingers in the direction of the lecturers.” True idiom: point a/the finger. No inclusion of ‘accusing’ or inflection of ‘finger’.
“It is our belief that we members of the alumni association of our alma Mata (Alma Mater) have unique roles to play in the restoration of sanity on our university campus.” It is…restoration of sanity to (not on) our campus.
“Isn’t it funny that it is the beak with which a bird builds it’s (sic) nest that it uses to scatter it.” Possessive: its
“…the OAU summiteers concentrated almost exclusive (sic) on the political independence and liberation of countries in (on) the continent.”
Vanguard of December 4 contained two putrid lines: “Monday’s action, which started at dawn, was as a result of the breakdown of series of negotiations…” An agendum: a series of negotiations.
“According to investigations, the deceased was said to be resting alone in his room at about 9.p.m….” Every reporter should be decisive based on timing which description to use: either at or about 9 p.m. The two cannot co-function.
“According to the source, the institution has a very high percentage of failure in the last academic year.” Reported speech: the institution had (not has).
“… that the authorities of the institution was (were) still waiting the result of the police analysis of the bomb”.
“…in the next three years, its per capital income would have …” This way: per capita income.
FEEDBACK
Lest we forget, CELEBRATER or Celebrator is reserved for someone having a good time while “celebrant” is reserved for someone who conducts a religious rite. If “celebrator” becomes overworked/over – used or becomes obsolete, then “celebrater”, the original word, will take over (Look it up in The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of The English Language, page 214 and The Associated Press STYLEBOOK, page 36).
“Inquire” is the preferred spelling, NOT “enquire” and “inquiry” is preferred to “enquiry” (DICTIONARY OF USAGE, page 91). Besides, in American English, the general preference is to use “inquiry” (GOOD WORD GUIDE, page 99). The debate continues. Well done, brother! (Bayo Oguntunase, Language activist, Adoro62@yahoo.co.uk)
MR. Wabara, I have always enjoyed your every Saturday tonic—Media Gaffes. Keep it up. I wish to draw your attention to our discussion on the word ‘about’ in one of last month’s editions. You inadvertently repeated what was required to be corrected as the correction. Secondly, one of your contributors to that edition should have said, ‘about 1,720 or 1,700’…rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 (sic) would have read rounded up or down to the nearest 10 or 100. And this: 1,729 or 1,700 (to the nearest 10 and 100 respectively). For instance, 1,755 can be rounded up to 1,800 (not 100). Thank you. (Surveyor J. O. Amayo, Benin City, 08051646227)
THE next two contributions by Mr. Kola Danisa (07068074257) are from THE NATION of August 24: “Over four months after their abduction, the girls are yet (have yet) to be located.”
“Liberia is (has) yet to return to….” And this: “…untapped heroic potentials (potential)….”
DR. Stanley Nduagu (08062925996) sent in the next faulty extract from Aba: “The Nigerian nurses as endangered specie (species)” (Nigerian nurses and midwives’ advertorial) ‘Species’ is both singular and plural. The word ‘specie’ has no place in English language.
“Then it was catalogue of misses for the Super Eagles.” In the spirit of qualification: a catalogue of misses.
“The home of the chairman…was vandalized and most of his properties littered outside.” No chaos: most of his property.
Olumodeji, Kidney Failure Patient, Needs N12m for Transplant
Godwin Ifijeh
U
nless aid comes to her quickly and she gets the N12million needed to immediately travel to India to replace her two ruptured e kidneys, Mrs. Olumodeji, a brilliant middle aged woman of academic excellence, stands to die prematurely any time soon, reports —–
Mrs. Titi Juliana Olawoyin Olumodeji had worked variously in different capacities in some private businesses in the SouthWest region of Nigeria, Lagos in particular. She was agile, loving and loved.
Neighbours described her as extremely quiet, easy going and kind. As one petty trader next door to her house, Mrs. Bisi Sowemimo, said of her, Mrs. Olumodeji will only not give you what she has put in her mouth to eat.
“She completely took over my family’s care after I lost my husband some 5 years ago and I could not cater for my children and pay our rent any longer. Apart from ensuring that my little kids, who had stopped school, returned to school, she took me and my three kids into her house, fed and took care of us. In fact, she made it possible for me to stand on my own by facilitating the process that made it possible for me to raise the money with which I started this little trading business I am into today. She guided me through the business and I ensured that I could fend for myself and kids, she was a teacher and a counsellor, in this little neighbourhood, she was in her young age a mother to all, she was gentle, kind and loving but our jewel is down today sick, we don’t have the where withal to help her, we are appealing to the world, Christians, Muslims, corporate institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches and mosques, governments and government institutions to come to the aid of this godly woman and save her life for us and humanity,” Mrs. Sowemimo, a widow of over six years, who sells fruits and food stuffs in the Meiran neighbourhood of the Olumodejis, a Lagos suburb, pleaded in tears at the Olumodejis’ house during the week.
Now lying helpless in her hospital bed, the 47-year old Mrs. Olumodeji is suffering from a chronic kidney disease, which her doctors say will require her to undergo renal transplantation in India. Her two kidneys are reportedly affected
In a letter of appeal dated October 13, 2016 and signed by her doctor, .A.O. Banjoko of the Dialyzer Specialist Medical Centre, Lagos, where she has been undergoing hemodialysis sessions, the hospital stated: “Mrs. Olumodeji Titi, aged 47 years, a patient with renal function impairment, was diagnosed with chronic kidney Disease a year ago in LASUTH and has been on follow up here. Due to worsening renal function, she started hemodialysis on 8.10.16 and has had two sessions thus far.
“Mrs. Olumodeji is currently scheduled for twice weekly hemodialysis sessions and intradialysis blood transfusions. However, it is advisable for her to have renal transplantation done because the quality of life and survival outcomes of post-transplant patients is greatly improved by the procedure. This can be done in India. Any financial assistance in this regards will be greatly appreciated.”
Mrs. Olumodeji, with her husband, Mr.Biodun Olumodeji on her bedside in hospital, pleaded for public help, stating that she requires N12million to successfully carry out the kidney transplant in India. She said she has been undergoing hemodialysis twice weekly at a cost of N56, 000.00 per session, making N112, 000 a week. Her husband, who joined her in the appeal, pleaded with all good spirited people, governments, politicians, businessmen and women and religious bodies to come to their aid to help save the wife’s life.
According to him, he has spent all they have on her medical care with their children now thrown out of school as he is unable to pay their school fees anymore and feeding as well has proven to be difficult for them.
While he gave his telephone numbers as 08023680469, 08023205665 and 08174108037 for the benefit of those who would want to reach them for enquiries, he said donors could make payment to Mrs. Olumodeji Titi Juliana through her First Bank Account No. 3050576796. He wishes all donors and contributors God;s blessings, guidance and replenishment.
