‘Point Accusing Fingers’ Wrong

EXPRESSION BY Ebere Wabara

“CHIEF of Naval Staff advocates for increased productivity via industrialization” When used as a verb, ‘advocate’ does not admit ‘for’.  Let us avoid verbiage in headline casting: Naval Chief advocates increased productivity. 

  “For the university to recommend that students should pay for the damages while they have….” A common mistake: except in legalese, ‘damage’ cannot be pluralized. 

  “…rather than investigating and finding out who were involved and check against future re-occurrence: Beyond recurrence, can an event yet to take place happen in the past?   

“…the university is pointing its accusing fingers in the direction of the lecturers.” True idiom: point a/the finger.  No inclusion of ‘accusing’ or inflection of ‘finger’. 

  “It is our belief that we members of the alumni association of our alma Mata (Alma Mater) have unique roles to play in the restoration of sanity on our university campus.”  It is…restoration of sanity to (not on) our campus. 

  “Isn’t it funny that it is the beak with which a bird builds it’s (sic) nest that it uses to scatter it.” Possessive: its   

“…the AU summiteers concentrated almost exclusive (sic) on the political independence and liberation of countries in (on) the continent.” 

  Vanguard of September 4 contained two putrid lines: “Monday’s action, which started at dawn, was as a result of the breakdown of series of negotiations…” An agendum: a series of negotiations.   

“According to investigations, the deceased was said to be resting alone in his room at about 9.p.m….”  Every reporter should be decisive on timing as to which description to use: either at or about 9 p.m.  The two cannot co-function. 

  “According to the source, the institution has a very high percentage of failure in the last academic year.”  Reported speech: the institution had (not has).   

“…that the authorities of the institution was (were) still waiting the result of the police analysis of the bomb”. 

“False rumours on currency restructuring” ‘False rumours’, connotatively and denotatively, reek of catharsis (to mitigate anger)! Do we have ‘true rumours’? A ‘rumour’ basically means ‘a piece of information, or a story, that people talk about, but may not be true’. So, what is the essence of falsehood here? We can talk of widespread or malicious rumours, among other correct qualifiers.  

“Solving unemployment crises need (needs) structural approach, says Ngige” This is a clear case of subject-verb disagreement unexpected from a medium of self-acclaimed flagship status.

Let us welcome Blueprint back to this column after a long skip. Its September 10 edition showed signs of stunted growth: “CJN to flag off new legal year, swear-in new SANs on Wednesday” ‘Swear in’ does not admit hyphenation being a phrasal verb.

“As stakeholders chat (chart) new course…”

“Again, when you look at the present political situation in the state, you will see that majority (the majority) are in support of the current government, so who is going to fight?”

“Mushin crisis: Police arrest eight, recover 30 AK47; (a comma—not semi-colon) (AK47s), 13,742 ammunitions” Security News: ‘ammunition’ is uncountable.

“Monarchs, clerics, others bag make National honours list” Either bag national honours or make national honours’ list. Was the sub-editor thinking of tuition or rent? I was there decades back!

“Wave of attacks kill 44 in Iraq” Around the world: wave…kills/waves…kill.

“It was gathered that the crisis between the duo blew opened (open) again as the….”

Lastly from Blueprint: “Let’s take our progress serious” Let’s take our communication seriously.

“Such do or die attitude to power is responsible for political violence in Nigeria.” (Daily Independent, September 6) Power configuration: Such a do-or-die attitude

“The unyielding scourge of excess liquidity (excess cash) for over three decades is probably ample testimony of this failure.” (THE GUARDIAN Opinion Page, September 4) Get it right: an ample testimony to this failure. 

“In a deft political move, Obasanjo sent the workers jubilating by acquiescing to (in) their age-long demand of 12.5 per cent pay rise”.

“Details of the other players were still kept under wrap (wraps) as a….”

“The governor equally advocated for the setting up of a committee….” Yank away ‘for’.

“NCP rejects polls results, demand interim govt” Why the discordant tune?

“Lawal threatens not to handover” The governor must hand over whether he likes it or not.

“LAUTECH re-opens next week”  ‘Reopen’ does not admit hyphenation.

Sports retrospection: “222 wrestlers converged in Ibadan for COJA 2003” All-Africa Games history: converge on Ibadan.

“Stand off between lawyers and Benin court deepens” No news: standoff.  And this: “INEC blamed for low turn out” Voter apathy: turnout.

Finally, “Ex-Airways boss in police net for fraud” No to fraudulent grammar: over fraud.

“ASUU is still closeted in the anachronistic Marxist philosophy of yesteryears….” ‘Yesteryear’ is uncountable.

“Is it not blatant hypocrisy for our society to cry out against violation of human rights and yet support and atimes…? This way: at times.

“We are about rounding up.”  I am not yet rounding off this treatise.  To ‘round up’ means arrest, while ‘round-up’ implies summary/conclusion/end….

“In a few campuses, such as the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN)….” Right prepositional phrase: On a few campuses.

“Vigilante groups warned against extortion” Get it right: vigilance groups (committees).

“Many members of the nebulous northern power block are numbered among the nationalists” No vagueness: northern power bloc.

“The physical defects of damages that abortions can cause are now being experienced by very many women in addition to what denatured food is causing.” ‘Damage’ is non-count, except in legalese.

“This has (had) in the past led to serious communal clashes resulting in loss of lives and property” No lexical disturbances: life and property/lives and properties.

“The picture of black Africa as savages in (on) a dark continent painted by Europeans.…”

“The congestion on our roads are (is) very unhealthy for the economic sector.”

“A further review of the performance of the major currencies of Nigeria’s trading partners also indicate (indicates) that Euro….”

“During the heydays of Christian missionary activities in the southern parts of Nigeria, communities were actively involved in building schools.” Thoughts on education: ‘heyday’ is uncountable.

“Nigeria’s soccer house set to take the bull by the horn and change the face of the game.” Sports journalism: take the bull by the horns.

“…the victim is a specie (species) from among the wretched of the earth.”

“We could do nothing against such formidable odds giving (given) the worthless tolls at our disposal.”

“The euphoria among workers over this year’s May Day find (finds) expression in the fact that they can now take their destiny in their (own) hands.”

“It was an unenviable task given the palpable hostility that rented (rent) the air.”

“The lack of adequate knowledge of the areas have (had) often made past exercises to be….”

“…execute programmes and policies which they had promised the electorates (electorate) before being voted for.”

“Such a fellow should not be in the corridor (corridors) of power….”