Federal Works Ministry Goofs

Ebere Wabara

“EKO Bridge fire incident: Federal Ministry of Works and Housing issues 7-day quit notice to persons illegally doing businesses or habiting (inhabiting) under bridges (under-bridges) and loops of federal roads nationwide”

‘The quit notice became necessary to forestall future occurrence of the type of fire incident which….” Why not ‘to forestall recurrence’?

“The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing…is concerned that such incidence (such an incident) will….”

“Some suffer one form of stigma or the other (or another, on grounds of pluralism) in their communities.”  

“…Warns against imposters (impostors)”

“Ayu warns that allowing standoff to linger may result to (in) party losing state”

“INEC reads riot act (the riot act) to political parties over conduct of primaries”

News around the city of March 30 comes to the fore with this: “Suspected herdsmen machete farmer in Ondo” Please note that ‘machete’ is strictly a noun.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper of April 2, takes over from the voice of the nation in today’s session on grammatical scholarship: “Confusion continue (continues) to trail the defection of Ebonyi State Governor….”

“…continued stay in office having decamped (defected) from the party that brought them to office.”

“…under (on) the platform of the ruling Peoples (sic) Democratic Party (PDP)”

“May his soul continue to rest in the bossom (bosom) of the Lord, Amen!”

“Monday’s attack on a passenger train around Kateri-Rijana axis in Kaduna, leading to the killing of some passengers and abduction of others, have (has) once again thrown up the issue of insecurity which has ravaged the country.”

National News Front Page of March 29 did not spell-check one of its sub-headlines: “Continous importation of fuel unacceptable—Tambuwal” The fact: continuous.

THISDAY of March 28 leads the inglorious way this week: “Beyond making some contractors happy, there is nothing to be gained by adding a camouflage uniform to the Police which need to be repositioned, revamped and restructured for effective and efficient discharge of its (their) responsibilities.”

“Masquerades, students’ clash: 14 arraigned in court” (Vanguard, March 29) Get it right: masqueraders (who wear special costumes and masks over their faces to hide their identities as they masquerade). Got the distinction? ‘Arraigned in court’? I would have reprimanded whoever cast this headline, but one of the readers of this column has advised me not to be doing that. Where else would they have been arraigned, gentlemen of the press? Perhaps, Fela’s shrine!

Let us welcome National Accord newspaper editorial to this column for the first time. Its March 27 edition goofed: “The Chairman of the Committee…said at an interactive session with stakeholders that studies have (had) shown that Nigeria has (had) about 10 million vehicles….” That is the unique nature of reported speech! 

Vanguard of March 27 circulated two headline blunders: “PDP accuses APC                   of plan to frame-up (frame up) members”

“Nigeria losses (loses) over $20b annually (yearly—preferably—for headline purposes) in power, other sectors”

The phrasal bug also bit BUSINESSDAY of March 27: “Hot weather: LASG warns against long stay under the sun” City File: stay in the sun.

“Benue police arrest 63 over (for) communal clash” (DAILY INDEPENDENT, March 26)

“…injustice that each succeeding government had meted out on (to) the people of Ogoniland.”

“The US is gender sensitive, it may just concede for (to) Dr. Okonjo-Iweala to be the next World Bank President.” (Vanguard, March 26)

“New capital market probe panel says no witch-hunting” (Source: as above) No witch-hunt.

THE NATION of March 26 offered its readers just a blunder: “The issues that gave rise to the Niger Delta uprising which culminated into (in) a full-scale….”

From The Guardian of March 26 come the next two slips: “…the federal authorities are seeking partnership with them in it’s (its) transformation agenda….”

“Oyo flags-off (flags off) bridge, road projects”

This week’s headline review continues with last Sunday’s edition of Leadership: “Atiku, PDP governors in hide and seek game over party chair” Get it right: just hide-and-seek. (‘Game’ is otiose here—and note the hyphenation).

Vanguard of March 23 disseminated three blunders: “The Nigeria Police is (sic) about the only one of our security agencies that….” A rewrite: The Nigeria Police Force/Service is about the only one of our security agencies that….

“The hope is that at the end of his tenure, he will leave (would have left) behind a highly motivated police force, one we can (could) all be proud of.” Because of the element of contextual probability, it is wrong to use the declarative tense.

“They are not maintained and the age-old tradition of keeping military and law enforcement environments spic and span is no longer adhered to.” Spell-check: spick and span.

Still on Vanguard: “If we are forced, we may demand for total resource control….” I unequivocally demand the removal of ‘for’ from the extract.

“We have impacted immensely in (on) the lives of….”

“A peep into the credentials…indicate (indicates) that the delegates have a touch (tough) task at hand.” “Late (The late) Comptroller….”

Again: “Rest in the bossom (bosom) of the Lord our dear friend”

“…we had one of the most successful NEC meeting (meetings) (DAILY INDEPENDENT, March 22) “My grouse with (about) Ajayi Crowther University” (THE NATION, March 22)

THE NATION of March 23 circulated copious gaffes: “Many a times….” Why not simply ‘many times’—and if you must use the extract—many a time….

“I developed special interest for (in) the physically-challenged people and orphans….”

“Cabotage review: Stakeholder advocates for maritime task force” (DAILY INDEPENDENT Maritime, March 23) I advocate the elimination of ‘for’ in the interest of all lexical stakeholders.

From DAILY INDEPENDENT of March 23 comes the next school-boy howler: “Maybe as we have often pointed out is a relic of the past.” My dear reader, just vide the meaning of ‘relic’ and, consequently, put a full stop after the word.

The latest entrant to this column, National Accord, March 23 edition, beginning from its front page, showed streaks of amateurism on three occasions: “Police nabs (nab) 41 suspected hoodlums in Suleja”

“The Namadi Sambo’s anger on (at) the power project….”

“In the last couple of years, there has been a maddening rush for Abuja vehicle plate numbers by indigenes of Benue State….” Special report: number-plates 

The next two infelicities are from National News of March 22: “Gunmen kill five vigilante members in Anambra” Either five vigilance members or five vigilantes. 

“Experts say the adulteration of transport fuel is a thriving business nationwide; (what is the semi colon doing here?) and may result to (in) economic losses….”

Wrong: matriach; right: matriarch (Source: as above) 

“The last but not the least is about corruption.” Last but not least….

From my inbox

Good job on Media Gaffes. I have been crying about the death of good English in our media, both print and electronic. They are supposed to be the custodians of good grammar, but it is no longer the case.

Adolphus A. (Port Harcourt/08033410380)