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EXPRESSION by Ebere Wabara
DAILY Sun Editorial of June 15 almost massacred the English language: “…it is an affront on (to) the freedom of worship generally.”
“Any government that cannot guarantee security (the security) of lives (life) and property has failed in its responsibility.”
Road to 2023: “Today, people are beginning to believe the vigilante (vigilance) groups more than formal security officers….”
From News around the City of June 29 comes the next systemic blunder: “Armed bandits operating around the….” When will most reporters stop writing ‘armed bandits’? Simply put, there is no banditry without one form of arm or another! If any such incident happens without a measure of weaponry, it means that it is not ‘banditry’, but robbery. Please vide a standard and current dictionary—not the good (relatively speaking), old ‘Michael West’!
Multifarious advertorial and editorial blunders characterized the June 13 edition of The PUNCH: “The Pan African Bank” (Full-page Advert by Ecobank) Correct pay-off line: The Pan-African Bank
“Career opportunities in a world class company” (Full-page Advert by Nigerian Breweries PLC) ‘World-class’ here is adjectival—qualifying ‘company’. So, a world-class company. And this correction: Nigerian Breweries PLC (which functions as a proper noun in this context). But as a descriptive phrase: one of the public limited companies in this country—in which case the ‘p’ should appropriately be in lower case. Otherwise we would awkwardly have, if not abbreviated, ‘Nigerian Breweries public limited company’ (NB plc)! Most organizations are thoughtlessly guilty of this institutional infraction (while, for instance, Fidelity and Sterling banks got it wrong, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC knows full well what is right). Let us keep moving forward.
Still on the 2022 Oyo State Education Summit: “We sincerely thank the chairman of the occassion….” Spell-check: occasion.
“…the Yoruba both at Home & Diaspora (at home and the Diaspora) as an integral part of Nigerian nation.” Appreciation: the Nigerian nation. The foregoing copious goofs from Ibadan are not pacesetting at all!
Wrong: per excellence; right: par excellence
“As you turn 50 years today, we (a comma) your siblings (another comma) congratulate you for (on/upon) attaining the Golden Age of 50.”
Don’t forget we are still ‘Punching’: “Hanson said that (otiose!) there was no excuse for any delay in renew vehicle document….” Get it right: delay in the renewal of vehicle documents.
“He urged motorist (motorists) to make it a priority to renew their documents once they became expired….” What of simply ‘once they expire’?
“The Board, Management and Staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) wishes (wish) to commiserate….”
“Six arrested over death of two cattle rearers.” Six arrested for (not over).
“According to the source, Shagari openly endorsed Buhari and enjoined Babangida and his supporters to do same (the same).”
“…the mass exodus of members to other parties should be a source of worry to the leadership of the party.” I am sure ‘exodus’ involves massive movement. So, ‘mass’ here indicates illiteracy.
“You better get down on your knees and do what I am doing right now.” The end of illusions: you had better get down.…
“Every detail of our daily life furnish (furnishes) compelling reasons for pessimism.”
“…as if it were some occupation force from outer space about to mete out extra-terrestrial justice on (to) an erring Iraq.”
“NNPP paths way with NDP” This way: parts (not paths) company…
“In fact when it is not a victim of communal clashes, it suffers fallouts of….” ‘Fall-out’ is uncountable.
‘There is the erroneous tendency to blame all the shortcomings in the electoral process at the doorstep of the Electoral Commission”. Get it right: blame on (not at).
“Though recent amendments to the Electoral Act have changed some deadlines with regards to the submission of the lists of candidates….” Either as regards or with regard to….
“Four years ago, when the former governor proclaimed his presidential aspirations with palpable bravado and fanfare under (on) the platform of the PDP”
“Olisa Agbakoba’s grouse with Dana Air was not.…” This way: grouse about (not with) Dana Air….
“As the governor observed during his tour of the troubled spots….” Get it right: trouble spots.
“Banks restructure, sack staff from acquired financial institutions”
“Arab leaders appeared not to have put their acts together to join….” Iraq: get their act (not acts) together.
“Health Minister, at Belgium, canvasses global war against fake drugs” The man was in (not at) Belgium.
“I remember once when he came to Port Harcourt we worked on a case till 5 a.m. in the morning.” No! Yank away ‘in the morning’!
“In the meantime, there has been series (a series) of system checks….”
“…a disagreement ensued resulting into shooting to death of one of the ‘okada’ members by the police.” This Life: resulting in.
“It was sometimes (sometime) in 1993 while I was still in Abuja….”
“For a NAFDAC that has in almost two years been performing creditably towards ensuring that food and drugs need of Nigerians are (is) given standard manufacturing preparations….”
“….his predecessors who were on (in) seat for years without actually doing the work for which they were paid.”
“It is also on record that the same government shot itself at the foot by dismissing the audit report as junks.” This way: audit report as junk. The last word in the extract is non-count.
“Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural group in the South West, has ….” Would it have been elsewhere, gentlemen? Perhaps, South East!
“Police warns against protests over Owo church massacre” No news: Police warn (plural verb).
“Other guests expected at (on) the occasion include.…”
“What about the students you don’t see who in (on) numerous Nigerian campuses swap novels or even recall the stories they read late into the night before bedtime?”
“In fact, he was one of the respected brains in the heydays of Action Group….” Exit this environment: ‘heyday’ is non-count.
