On, Not Under, Platform

Saturday Expression

With Ebere Wabara; ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“CPC to clampdown on illegal microfinance banks” Phrasal verb: clamp down (two words).
“An acknowledged scholar, a distinguished statesman and a team leader per excellence” Get it right: leader par excellence.
“New trends in LG electioneering campaigns” Politics Today: just electioneering campaigns. ‘Electioneering campaign’ is sheer verbiage! ‘Electioneering’ encompasses campaign and other related electoral issues.
“INEC asks DSS to crackdown on violent politicians” Noun: crackdown; phrasal verb: crack down (which applies here).
The next publication under review is DAILY TRUST of May 30: “Some countries have taken tobacco manufacturers to court for the damages their products cause.” The will to die: damage is uncountable except in reparative applications for indemnity.
“With the launching (launch) of the poverty alleviation (a hyphen) programme by the Federal Government, not a few Nigerians desire to see it effectively in place.” (THE GUARDIAN, May 30)

“…what happened was that somebody filed a writ of summon.“ (DAILY TRUST, May 24) This way (singular): a writ of summons; plural: summonses.
“It is the Federal Board that is always guilty of that, because it is them who take riff-raffs as welfare officers.” (Nigerian Tribune, May 30) ‘Riff-raff’, just like ‘stuff’, is uncountable.
“Modern technology has reduced the world into (to) a hamlet where the inhabitants are their brothers’ keepers.” This way: brother’s keeper (fixed idiom), irrespective of the number of people involved.
“The coincidence in the timing of all those sleazy gossips in soft-sell magazines and the beginning of his fashion parade….” ‘Gossip’, in this context, is uncountable.
“More overaged players for youth soccer“(Sunday Tribune, July 9) Get it right: overage players.
“Residents of some of the troubled spots in Libya in disarray” (SATURDAY INDEPENDENT, July) Witness to lexical mayhem: trouble spots.
“…rummaging all the bags and ransacking every nook and corner.” (Source: as above) Stock expression: nook and cranny.
DAILY SUN of May 29 disseminated seven improprieties: “The police requires (require) a redeemer who can uplift the Force from the battering it (they) suffered during the long years of militarization.”
“I inquired from those that appear to know and they said that the president is (was) roaming the country in the name of campaigns.”
“There is (are) no electricity, no security, no water, no roads, no health facilities in Nigeria.” “Foreign companies will be falling over themselves (one another) to come and invest here if we get the 2019 elections right.”
“…given the lame-duck posture of the opposition parties, the PDP simply held sway from the onset (outset).”

“Reactions on (to) the Pope’s visit, however successful, were mixed in Egypt, a country inhabited by a predominantly Muslim population.”
“Prior to the Pope’s visit, Egyptian Catholics have (had) opted out of the….”
“The first part was published last week Friday.” (THE GUARDIAN, May 30) Monday politics: either last Friday or Friday, last week.
“Vigilante (vigilance) groups, committed to the enforcement of the by-law, are being set up.” (Source: as above)
“Some of these areas include producing enough food to feed our teaming (teeming) population.”
“Rather, the money, including the N200 million per state released for special purposes, was diverted to other uses.” We certainly do not need the last three words in the extract, having been taken care of by ‘diversion’.
The next three blunders are from DAILY TRUST of May 30: “Unless the detonating mechanism of extremist religious chauvinism is diffused.” Get it right: defused (not diffused).
“They have decided to sheath their machetes and seek vengeance no more. “ Noun: sheath; verb: sheathe.
THISDAY of May 30 requires reformation of four lines: “The sources of revenue in a city like Lagos is very important.” Still on errors of attraction (more below): sources… are.
“…business downturn resulting to (in) drive-wandering.”
“…the rapaciousness of project contractors increase (increases) the country’s debt burden.”
“Senior civil servants’ union berate junior counterparts” Inside business: union berates.
THE GUARDIAN of May 30 questioned linguistic rules two times: “It’s the poet feared most, knowing fully (full) well that one of the….”
“The agitated crowd, who had been whipped to hysteria, demanded for his head.…” To avoid mayhem, delete ‘for’, from the extract.
”…and which provides a noble and humanistic framework for relations between the state and citizens in (on) our continent.”
“But in the welter of these realignment of forces…” Re-thinking development: this realignment of forces.
VANGUARD of May 30 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 reorganization 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 reorganization or major reorganizations, as context demands.
“One of the most outrageous abuses occured…” 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 obsolete.” 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.

POLITY STORY
UNIC Foundation Advises FG to Focus on Providing Employment
Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

C
oncerned about the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, Dr. Christopher Imumolen, President, UNIC Foundation, an NGO, focused on youth, women and children development and empowerment has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment.
Imumolen, who spoke at a press briefing during the week, at the Foundation’s headquarters in Igando, Lagos said rate of unemployment is alarming, pointing out that statistics revealed that over 27 million Nigerian youths are unemployed while over 70 million people are under employed.

According to him that number outweighs the number of the population in Ghana, it outweighs the population of Benin Republic, “we are looking at a situation where we have a whole nation not employed in some other countries”.
His words: “So we have over 27 million who live on less than a Dollar par day, and we have over 70million people under employed, these are people who are working but by international standard practice are earning far less, than what they ought to earn. This rate is alarming notable Nigerians ought to talk about it, we understand that the government has done their bit to help Nigerians in reducing the state of unemployment in the country, but more need to be done.

He hinted that people are suffering, though the foundation is not blaming the govt, but it is saying that the government should look at the issue more critically. Adding that the end power employment, on the website that ought to employ 300 people have 2.3 million applying for a job where they will be paid 30 thousand naira a month,
This according to him proves we are in a litmus situation which if not controlled; it may totally erode our value on education. People see their elders who have gone through education remaining unemployed for over five years, how can they still believe that education is the key to success.

The government is trying, but the effect is minimal, the progeny of unemployment in the country which have over 27 million unemployed there is no way it can totally eradicate crime, there is no way it can wipe off armed robbery, insecurity, kidnapping and other vices in the nation.
“We at UNIC Foundation is asserting that Why should the government be spending so much money to eradicate crime rather than killing the prime mover which is unemployment itself.
“The concern of Federal government to seek to abolish crime could not be achieved by ear marking much fund for security every year. The way out is to allocate some of these funds to solve unemployment issues in the country”
“He said the other day his organisation was talking about Badoo and the ills of jungle justice, in which a student who is a member of his organisation was killed.
“We have to address these things from the root. Our advocacy against justice is now tied to people who are on the street, idle. This has increased the rate of crime in the country. We have many unemployed in the country, but the issue is that, government, individual and corporate organization shall come together to tackle this.
“ If people are hungry, if people can’t earn a living, when they are pushed to the wall, they will take to crime, until unemployment and these other things are tackled crime can’t be abolished.

“What the government should do is to act fast, it should take it more critical by coming up with creative idea which can immediately cushion the effect of unemployment in our country, create enabling environment that will make businesses survive in a country where businesses have been tagged to fail after two years. Only 10 percent of businesses set up in Nigeria survive after two years of setting it up.
“Reasons for failure are: To open an account for a bank is a problem; to register a company is a big problem; Tax issue, power issue, funding among others.
“Government should have its policy and programs geared towards poverty eradication; these provide employment and create the environment for business to thrive.”
He hinted that his organisation, have been doing this on a micro level and it has been very successful, but they now want it at a larger scale, “we are therefore calling on the government, to partner with us . We could assist the government by giving them the prerequisite needed for business to survive in a tough economy

“Yes it is a known fact that we are challenged, we are in a period of recession, we have heard of words like technical recession, and now. Nigerians don’t know if we are in a recession or not. But the truth is that things are difficult, we are in a difficult period. But like I will say there are business opportunities even in recession.
“What we are doing as an Ngo is to help the Nigerian citizen, teach Nigerians trade they could invest in and excel, we also want to give grants. It is important that we assist, we cannot leave everything to the government, as a body we have set up an apprenticeship program for Nigerians who do not have something doing. After a period of 3 months, the NGO helps them to continue in the business or start up another business”.

Imumolen explained that the problem with these businesses is lack of mentorship. Many businesses failed because business owners do not have a map, a direction which they want to pattern their business.
“You see the Igbos before now learn trade and are set up by their bosses, the trend has reduced but it was helpful and actually helped to combat unemployment in Eastern region of Nigeria, and it actually parachuted so many young persons.
“We are now adopting the same methodology by picking up people on the street, graduates who do not have jobs can come into UNIC Foundation and enroll for free apprenticeship program that will thrive. We have identified 10 major sectors that the recession itself is a plus to its operation, it could not affect it.

“The purpose for the apprenticeship and mentorship is that I as a person have survived in business, there are characteristic that I possess which Mr. B may not have. The purpose of the mentorship is to build the toughness into you, to equip you with the tool you require to overcome the challenge that exist in the Nigerian economy, true we have advocated that the government should provide conducive economy.

“What if the government does not provide it, for the next ten years, does it mean people will die for the next ten years. So what you need to do is to increase your game, adapt to the changes, so that the system that kills business within two years will not affect you, so we have an apprenticeship program in place, which will help to employ Nigerians, young graduates who do not have something doing. So that they can be given a grant so that they can further their business.

“It has started; I have some people who are working with me and I have after six started up their businesses. They worked with me not because of salary, but as apprenticeship to learn from me and on how to manage business and so grow it.”