Ekweremadu Goofs - THISDAYLIVE
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February 3, 2018 3:59 am
SATURDAY EXPRESSION AND PEOPLE2PEOPLE STORIES
WITH Ebere Wabara, ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948
â€œGROUPS sensitise (sensitize, preferably) students on (to) human traffickingâ€
â€œâ€¦return back toâ€¦.â€ Delete â€˜backâ€™ on grounds of redundancy.
The next two blunders are from a full-page advertorial signed by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, PhD, OON, Taliban Gombe: â€œOnce again, we congratulate you for (on/upon) being a source of pride and encouragement to Nigerians.â€
â€œâ€¦I wish you more fruitful years ahead as you continue to make your mark and tireless (tirelessly) contribute to sustaining the unity and peace of Nigeria.â€
An aside from the above advertorial headlined â€œCongratulations to the Father of Modern Nigeriaâ€ Your Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is not the father of modern Nigeria. Please do not rewrite contemporary history!
â€œOn behalf of my family and the good people of Enugu West Senatorial District, I congratulate the Board, Management and Staff of The Sun Publishing Limited for (on/upon) attaining the age of 15.â€ (Full-page advertorial by His Excellency, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, PhD, CFR, Deputy President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, DAILY SUN, January 24)
â€œThe rush by politicians to found political parties rather than align with the ones with which they share similar ideologies have (has) persisted till nowâ€¦.â€
â€œWe note with happiness that during these fifteen years, through the four titles in (on) its stable namelyâ€¦.â€
â€œYou have performed your social responsibility of informing, educating, enlightening and entertaining creditably well andâ€¦.â€ Get it right: just creditablyâ€”â€˜wellâ€™ is otiose.
â€œA female Hausa drummer (middle) and his (how?) assistants performing in Lagos in the 1950sâ€ (DAILY SUN MEMORIES Page, January 22)
â€œâ€¦it was a gimmick to get people to subscribe on (to) their platform. â€œ (THE BUSINESS REPORT, January 22)
â€œThe government has put in place long term strategy (a long-term strategy) and this will help the economy.â€
â€œConsumers commend Ogun govt over (for) Mitros riceâ€
â€œ2019: USAID, NGO raise alarm (the alarm) over insecurityâ€
â€œUgwuanyi commissions (inaugurates) state-constructed 103 Battalion Army Barracks Roadâ€
Wrong: Interest free loan; Right: Interest-free loan
â€œFuel queues return to Lagos amid supply shortage (shortages)â€ (DAILY SUN BUSINESS Headline, January 22)
â€œEkpuâ€¦will bring to our teeming readers, in his inimitable style, rigorous and profound thoughts on wide (a wide) range of contemporary issues on Nigeria, Africa and the world.â€
â€œI wish you Godâ€™s continous (continuous) blessings and good health.â€ (Full-page advertorial by Prince Uche Secondus, National Chairman of PDP, DAILY SUN, January 29)
It is an auspicious ocassion (occasion) considering the enormousâ€¦.â€ (Full-page advertorial signed by Chief Pat Chidolue, Chairman, Chelsea Hotels Ltd., DAILY SUN, January 29)
â€œAt this 11th hour of your epicopacy (episcopacy) as the Catholic Archbishop of Abujaâ€¦.â€ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
â€œThe Traditional Rulers, President Generals of Town Unions and the entire people of Igala-speaking communities in Anambra West LGA of Anambra State wish to congratulateâ€¦.â€ (Full-page advertorial by Anambra West Igala Stakeholdersâ€™ Forum, DAILY SUN, January 29) My own message: Presidents-General
â€œHouse of Representatives National Assembly Committee on Banking and Currency call for memoranda/invitation to a two day (two-day) public hearing onâ€¦.â€
â€œLagos women launch farmers (farmersâ€™) multipurpose cooperativeâ€
â€œSoldiers take over troubled spotsâ€ (Daily Champion Headline, December 20) Let peace reign: trouble spots.
â€œPost election violence spreadsâ€ (Vanguard Headline, December 19) Towards a better life for the people: Post-election violenceâ€¦.
Yet another headline solecism from Vanguard of the next day: â€œPost poll violence continuesâ€ Solution as above. Somebody should inform editors at Kirikiri Canal of this recurring lapse.
â€œMan killed in car accidentâ€ (Vanguard Headline, December 19) Why not â€™â€™Man dies in car accident?â€™â€™ He was not killed!
â€œNigerian loses his life in a ghastly auto crash in Greece.â€ (DAILY CHAMPION, December 19) It was a fatal (not ghastly) accident.
â€œPresident Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed sadness over the sporadic violent protest (protests)â€¦.â€ (Vanguard, December 19)
The next headline blunder is from last weekâ€™s edition of this medium: â€œPolice arrest four over Maiduguri explosionâ€ Do we arrest the entire editorial team for (not over) lexical recklessness?
â€œBribery enthrones mediocrity and crucify merit.â€ (Source: as above) The Tabernacle of bribery crucifies merit.
â€œGang up against Buhari will failâ€ (NIGERIAN Tribune Headline, 15 December) Phrasal verb: gang up; noun: gang-up (which applies here).
â€œWe were treated to another similar incidence.â€¦â€ All newspapers should know the difference between â€˜incidenceâ€™ and â€˜incidentâ€™ (which is the correct etymology here).
â€œAlthough the governorâ€™s last minute romance with the main opposition party is held against him.â€¦â€ Saturday People: last-minute (take note of the hyphen) romanceâ€¦.
â€œThus, a core investorâ€¦with regards to optimal use of the machinery.â€¦â€Â (THE GUARDIAN, December 12) Either: as regards or with regard toâ€¦.
â€œIn the heydays of the goggled General when fuel was often unavailableâ€¦â€ (THE GUARDIAN, December 20) Stranglehold of oil workers: heyday (uncountable).
â€œLast year, many houses of the Igbo in Ajegunle, a suburb of Lagos, were razed down.â€¦â€ (THISDAY, December 20) No word abuse: simply razed (not razed down). Discard the contrary views by some registers!
Yet another headline gaffe: â€œRestrictions on inter-bank foreign exchange trading is (are) killing the market.â€
â€œArmed robbers now have good companyâ€”street thugs and unofficial vigilante groups.â€ (THE GUARDIAN, December 20) Democracy as a disincentive: vigilance groups.
â€œ2015: Jonathan points accusing fingers at INECâ€¦.â€ (DAILY TRUST, December 20) People in the news: Jonathan points the finger. No obtuse addition.
â€œNigeria is at a crossroadâ€ (VANGUARD, December 25) Fixed expression: at a/ the crossroads.
â€œStationeries badly needed by.â€¦â€ (DAILY INDEPENDENT, December 20) â€˜Stationeryâ€™ is non-count.
â€œBut what appears criminal is the desire of these off-springs of.â€¦â€ (DAILY CHAMPION, December 20) â€˜Offspringâ€™ does not take any inflection.
The next three goofs are from VANGUARD of December 20: â€â€¦the process of economic integration from which will emerge an economic block (bloc).â€¦â€
â€œThere is a tussle going on between these two (would it have been three?) arms of government.â€
â€œNigerian leaders and politicians have continued to adopt and acquiesce to (in).â€¦â€
â€œGlobacom sets (set) to rule domestic marketâ€ (Nigerian Tribune, December 20)
â€œI have been briefed that the wrangling among the leaders of PDP are (is) over.â€ (SUNDAY VANGUARD, December 24)
BusinessDay of December 20 disseminated an embarrassing impropriety: â€œNow that the Police has (have) taken over the supervision of theâ€¦.â€
â€œâ€¦and ensure it does not reoccur again.â€Â (THE GUARDIAN, December 20) â€˜Reoccur againâ€™? Run for cover, my dear reader! Just recur. Recur, recurrence, recurrent. Occur, occurred, occurrence.
â€œLack of incentives anger (angers) local manufacturersâ€ (THE GUARDIAN, December 20)Â â€œThey provide temporary relief.â€ (Source: as above) â€˜Temporary relief? I strongly object to that clumsy expression because there is no permanence in â€˜reliefâ€™.
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editor - October 19, 2018 12:29 pm