Kid Gloves, Not ‘Kids’ Gloves’

Kid Gloves, Not ‘Kids’ Gloves’

Media Gaffes With Ebere Wabara

AN aside: what do media managers at all levels of government discuss with their principals vis-à-vis the poverty of response to the raging and calamitous national protests?
Unbundling of EFCC and ICPC: “Buhari reduces influence of 6 anti-graft related (anti-graft-related) agencies”
“Ember months: We are ready, Lagos Police Command assures” Who did the command assure? ‘Assure’ cannot function as a stand-alone.
“Southeast bound (Southeast-bound) passengers stranded at Lagos Airport”
“Facilities at AOCOED excites (why?) NCCE team”
“I had it rough at (in) the beginning—Proprietress, Carol School”
“CSR: Between philantropy and palliatives” Brands and marketing: philanthropy”
“…Toure’s kids’ gloves treatment of the Tuareg rebels (rebels’) insurgence as its main reason to….” All the facts, all the sides: kid gloves.

“Woman arrested for killing mum” It is obvious that the sub-editor who treated this story has never heard of ‘matricide’! So, woman arrested for matricide.
“The elevation of some police officers and retirement (the retirement) of 13 Assistant Inspectors General has (have) led to some bad blood (delete the word preceding bad blood) in the force….” Elevation and retirement are distinct milestones that cannot be collapsed into singularity!
“When Hafeez Ringim, then an Assistant Inspector General (a comma) was elevated to the rank of Inspector General (another comma) all his seniors (DIGs) had to retire.” Not true: they were retired to pave way for the Ringim ultimate disaster!
“Your unassailable wisdom and sterling qualities have made you stand out as trustworthy and reliable leader.” Happy Birthday: a (note the article) trustworthy and reliable leader.
“Your ability to work out (answer/do) knotty political puzzles…makes you worth (worthy) of emulation.”

“Indeed, its (it’s) really a pleasure working with you….” (From The Senators of the 8th National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
“…so he could not have seen fire and tell (told) me to put my hand.” Alternatively, he cannot see fire and tell me to put my hand.
“…the APGA governorship candidate in Abia State at (in) the April 2019 elections….”
“Why change your wardrobe every five minutes while all it takes is a different accessories.” All it takes are different accessories.

Last but not least from last week’s edition of this medium: “Gen. Charles Airhiavbere should blame PDP over (for) the death of female students in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma” (Full-page Advert Signed by Edosa Efosa Osazuwa, Bini Truth Movement 2012)
“Assailant, vigilante member die in gun duel” Get it right: vigilance member. Alternatively: Assailant, vigilante die in gun duel.

“Woman arrested with AK-47, 148 live ammunitions” The last word in the extract is uncountable. The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) period is gone!
“This will remove the possibility of passing the bulk (buck)” No pedestrian English.
“The organized private sector took the bull by the horn recently….” For a better society: take the bull by the horns.

“Britain handed over the reigns of power to the politicians.” Modern English: reins of government.
“One even wonders why government did not adopt that method from the onset (outset).”
“This is true given the restricted and guarded comments from those who have been priviledged to view the clips.” Spellings count: privileged.
“Government needs to put (get) its acts together and prosecute the kidnappers.” My own comment: get its act (not acts) together.

“Vigilante group accused of murder“…Get it right: vigilance group.
“Apart from all these, the debt recovery (a hyphen confirms class) level of the banks have not been any issue of interest to NDIC.” Question CBN has to answer, debt recovery has (not have).
“It is believed in some quarters that the Nigerian Police has….” THE NATION: the Nigerian Police have.

“And the leaders, being new on the saddle of political leadership (another comma) were.…” The challenges of good grammar: in the saddle.
“Efforts by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his group to remove Akintola from office was (were) fiercely resisted.” Why the discord?
“As a new democracy, there was (were) bound to be problems.”
“In the course of the crisis, Awo and some of his lieutenants were arrested and charged for (with)….”

“The ethnic colouration of the coup led to a counter coup (a hyphen) in July 1966.” Spell-check: coloration.
“Have the previous exercises impacted meaningfully on the lives (life) of the average Nigerian?”
“This could not have been possible if they had been outrightly liquidated.” ‘Outrightly’ is a Nigerian creation! The right word ‘outright’ functions as an adverb and an adjective. Therefore, it does not require any inflexion. In other words: This could not have been possible if they had been liquidated outright. Even at that, ‘liquidation’ does not need any qualification because of its causative finality. So, if they had been liquidated.
‘Reopening’ abhors hyphenation. It is not automatic that any word with a prefix must go with a hyphen, except where there is a vowel replication. For instance: re-entry, but readmit, readjust, etcetera.

“Legislators, oil chiefs parley on industry enhancing issues” Imagine the classical excellence a hyphen between ‘industry’ and ‘enhancing’ would have conferred on the headline.
“I said these are (were) beggars and I told my wife I better (I had better) get money ready for them.”
“…the grassroots population of our people will remain the lifewire of the UBE scheme.” Adult literacy: livewire.
“The remains of the Ovie, sources in the town revealed, was (were) later tied….”
“And just last Friday, it was reported that the police has (had) arrested the APC governorship candidate….”
“The meetings were about some developments alright….” ‘Alright’ (non-standard) is unacceptable for ‘all right’ in formal settings.
“My suggestion, therefore, is that our National Assembly members should tow (toe) the line of reason.”
”…especially those public officers who remain suspect with regards (regard) to their qualifications and credibility to hold public offices” Alternatively, as regards their qualifications….
“The nation has (had) in the past pardoned and forgiven it’s (sic) past leaders and citizens who committed one offence or the other (or another).”
“Such citizens had since been integrated back (reintegrated) into the system.”
“A recent summit in Kaduna on education in the northern states provided the appropriate forum to revisit, once again….” ‘Revisit’ cannot co-function with ‘again’.
“Gone are the days when government can (could) go it alone.”
“Infact (In fact) every loving parents….” Parentage: either every loving parent or all loving parents
“In the agricultural sector, the two countries can learn a lot from one another (each other).”

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