‘Fail Woefully’ Incorrect

EXPRESSION BY Ebere Wabara

“THE Management of Dangote Cement Plc. (sic) yesterday firmly declared that the Obajana Cement plant in Kogi State is owned 100 per cent by it….” Get it right: PLC (Dangote Cement PLC—no lower case and no full-stop) in this context.

“Stakeholders and members of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) city of Imeko, (sic) said recent inauguration of Oke-Ola by Governor Dapo Abiodun has (had) broken the jinx of neglect of the entire council area….”

“Saliu Mustapha donates houses to widows of late Ilorin cleric” Would they have been widows of a living cleric” What’s going on here?

From the front and inside pages of The Guardian of October 2 come the following infelicities: “In just 4 years, etisalat became the fastest growing (fastest-growing) network with over 14 million subscribers nationwide.” Almost all the networks are making this same claim! Can the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) give us periodic and authentic data on this and other issues and stop the fraudulent ascriptions by GSM companies?

“Delta may relocate residents of flood prone areas” What about this: flood-prone areas?

“Four officers charged for (with) killing Cote d’Ivoire’s ex-leader”

“Ford workers’ union in Canada approve (approves) four-year contract”

Lastly from The Guardian under review: “Once an action is statute barred, right to institute same (the same) elapses” 

DAILY INDEPENDENT of September 27 goofed: “It’s shameful that African leaders have woefully failed to find a remedy to malaria which kills over one million victims yearly in (on) the continent….” Yank away ‘woefully’ for ‘terribly’/‘abysmally’. Let us do an unprecedented didactic work here: synonyms for ‘woe’ (evil/bane/sorrow—all nouns); ‘woebegone’ (suffering/unhappy/melancholic/lamenting—all adjectives); ‘woe betide’ (curse—an interjection); and ‘woeful’ (suffering, distressing, melancholic, lamenting—all adjectives).  Obviously, ‘woefully failed’ is incorrect by any stretch. Source: Penguin (The authorized Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases—one of the greatest reference books of all time). In the same breath, ‘woeful failure’ is faulty, too.

 “However, while these arguments are going on, a dubious precedence has been set with the arrest of a former.…” No round-up yet: a dubious precedent (not precedence).

“Here in Nigeria, there have (had) been instances where people have (had) supported coup d’états….” Never again: coups d’état.

“As if reading the terribly terrified minds, the organisers (organizers, preferably) distributed condoms to the invitees (guests).”

“The institutionalization of these aberrations are (is) even more worrisome.”

“To her greatest surprise, she caught her husband, red handed, making love with their landlord’s daughter, on their matrimonial bed.” Better than with a housemaid: in (not on) the bed, contextually speaking.

“The cost of petroleum products affect (affects) virtually the cost of every activity in the economy.”

“It afforded participants the opportunity to rub minds (converse, discuss or exchange ideas) and keep a tab on developments in various economies….”

“It will present events in the two chambers, record achievements, gossips and behind the scene (no hyphenation?) moves of the assembly men.” ‘Gossip,’ as a pastime, is non-count, but count when it refers to persons who gossip.  For instance, Bola and Ahmed are gossips.

“Like water and oil, they can never mix, talkless (let alone) blend.”

“Meanwhile, the university’s senate, ASUU and NASU have passed a vote of no confidence on (in) the VC.”

“It seems the bickering between the two unions is deepening?”  Between the unions (without ‘two’) confirms class, even as the excerpt is correct.

“They are little aware that our great men of yesteryears were able to achieve.…”  Again, ‘yesteryear’ does not admit any inflexion.

“This is the reason we see the oil industry as the life wire (livewire) of the Nigerian nation.”

“Contrary to apprehensions making (doing or going) the rounds, an open disclosure of the sordid deeds of the past will see Nigeria emerge a stronger and more united nation.”

“The issue has become such a grassroot (grassroots) topic….”

“They simply do it to add to their casualties and to wreck (rake) in something for themselves in return.”

“Those of us in prison then unable to witness the madness of the million matchers (marchers) have the opportunity to witness a re-enactment.”

“In our confused state, people who can afford it give their money, wisdom and sometimes influence to organize vigilante groups, construct street gates”  We need a new police force: vigilance groups.

“In fact, health officials would seem to be in a dire strait about how to check the menace.”  The AIDS debacle: in dire straits (plural); not in a dire strait.

“In passing, please note that we, Northerners, believe in true justice and not double standards.” Advertorial: double standard.

“The carnage occurred after the Afenifere leader gave a fake shoot-at-sight order on Boko Haram.” Get it right: shoot-on-sight.

“Arms and ammunitions have been moved to Lagos and Ondo ahead of this month’s governorship election. “ ‘Ammunition’ is uncountable.

“The uncontrolled disposal of raw sewage in the lagoon and rivers poses a serious threat of epidemics on (to) the residents.”

“The chairman of the bank…at (on) the occasion”

“…they demanded for the key to his Mercedes Benz car.” Delete ‘for’ in the interest of newspapering, lexical sanity, excellence and exactitude.

“So, what’s the big fun about crazy convoys if they only leave tears and woes in (on) their trail?” 

“LAUTECH re-opens (reopens) with prayer”

“Usually as early as 5. a.m. in the morning.…”  What then is a.m.?

“…many of them already have subsidiaries that are engaged in some of the anciliary services available under the universal banking…”  The 2022 CBN policy guidelines: ancillary services.

“…the agriculture sector did not fully succeed because the banks were not committed to the principle.”  Get it right: agricultural sector, Noun: agriculture; adjective: agricultural.

“The trio of…added additional feathers to (in) their caps recently.”

“…how the white elephant project will impact positively on the economy”. Simply erase ‘project’ which is implied in ‘white elephant’.

“Police lied in its (their) report (a comma) says….”

“In the past, one has (had) tried the path of objective and constructive criticism….”

“We should be thanking God that armed bandits…”  Remove the needless ‘armed’.