Felicitate With’ Wrong

EXPRESSION BY Ebere Wabara

YOU are welcome to this especial month: “The entire staff, friends, and family of…congratulates (why?)….”

”INEC’s strive (haba! striving) for a credible election is in line with the expectations of Nigerians.”

“Nigeria has witnessed series (a series) flawed elections in the past.”

“…people are still weeping and wailing over PHCN….” ‘Weeping’ cannot co-function with ‘wailing’! 

“Much ado about political parties (parties’) Peace Accord”

“Court fines Customs, orders release of 24 petrol laden (petrol-laden) tankers in Ogun”

“Enugu to tackle insecurity through massive employments….” The last word in the extract is uncountable.

“…yet Soludo do (does) not think Igbos (the Igbo) are deserving of equal reciprocity as free citizens of Nigeria.”

“Bayelsa police probe teenager’s dead body (what of corpse?) in hotel wardrobe.” How did they do that?

“On behalf of my family and people of…I felicitate with….” Yank away the last word in the excerpt.

“…27 per cent of rural and 5 per cent of urban populations in (on) the continent still practice (practise) open defecation“

Bagudu condoles (condoles with or simply consoles) family of woman, daughter assassinated in Kebbi”

An aside: people should desist from writing ‘unknown gunmen’! You can never know them! Just employ ‘gunmen’.

‘’The state of their primary and secondary schools are (is) highly deplorable while some of their universities are nothing more than glorified secondary schools.” 

THE NATION NEWS Extra of November 25 disseminated scandalous shibboleths in just one short extract: “There will be convenient (convenience) for payment…it can be pay (paid) installmentaly (sic) within four to five times.” Get it right: pay in instalments (not instalmentally)! 

“Dr. Mike Adenuga is on (in) the driver’s seat in Globacom Unlimited.” 

“NAICOM axes firms for non compliance with anti-money laundering rules” (BUSINESSDAY INSURANCE Today, November                                                                                                         25) News you can trust: non-compliance. 

“Ex-Osun lawmakers pass vote of confidence on (in) Gov”

“Man, 22, charged for (with) attempted suicide” (BUSINESSDAY, April 23) DAILY INDEPENDENT of November                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  23 circulated four improprieties: “At (On) different occasions you hear the agencies saying….”

“…Maevis from the very beginning chose to collect FAAN’s revenue (which is government revenue) in a platform account operated by themselves to which FAAN had neither access nor control.” Agenda: on a platform account.

“Muamba relieves (relives) horrifying experience”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE of November 19 fumbled: “The ballot process is meant to ensure that only strikes that enjoy the votes of majority of members are embarked upon.” This way: a/the majority of members.

The following four slips are from Daily Independent of 19: “The National Examination Council (NECO) is currently enmeshed in internal crisis….” Tell me, what is the function of ‘currently’ here—in the presence of ‘is’? And this: an internal crisis or internal crises.

Still on a similar error: “Though Nigeria currently has three major optic fibres….”

“Adamawa gov’s wife flags off cancer screening exercise” This way: cancer-screening exercise.

“The case of who pays the piper dictating (calling) the tune has always been dominant in international politics.”

“I congratulate Dr. Jose Antonio Ocampo for (on/upon) being a worthy participant and for his decision to withdraw his candidacy in my favour.” 

“He is still in (on) the board of many companies.” (THISDAY COMMENT, November                                         20)

“NAC boosts auto technicians’ efficiency with staff loans for modern equipments.” (DAILY INDEPENDENT Auto Business, November 20) ‘Equipment’ is uncountable

“Demuren said that all the regulations will (would) be binding on both international and local airlines….” (Source: as above) 

“The damages and loss of lives to NATO and Yugoslavia were unnecessary.” (DAILY INDEPENDENT, November 25) ‘Damage’ in this context is non-count. 

“An agenda similar to that of Murtala/Obasanjo regime was hurriedly packaged to cleanse the civil service in order to enhance performance and inculcate discipline into (in) our national life.” (THE NATION, November 25)

“Nigeria and the international community has (have) just celebrated this year’s….” (THE GUARDIAN, November 25)

“Secondly, it’s (its) legal duty to advise on the….” (Vanguard, November 25)

“They have not yet established the full processes of their interaction in the chamber too, and the formality of procedures are now still (is still) being developed.” (THISDAY, November 25)

“I wish the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu should feel the pause (pulse) of the people….” (BUSINESSDAY, November 25)

“I want to believe that the Nigerian electorate is (are)….” (Leadership, November 25)

“Part of this quality sense (not quantity) concerns the debate on how best to eat a dish, with cutleries or with the ten fingers.”  ‘Cutlery’ is uncountable. (Daily Trust, November 24)

“There has (have) been transition programmes before, so what is different with this one.” (Leadership, November 25)

“The Senate President assured recently in Abuja that the constitution would be ready for promulgation very soon.” Who did he assure? (DAILY INDEPENDENT, November 25)

“I am a product of a system which allowed a poor farmer-cum-fisherman’s son to go through the very best schools.…”  (The Moment, November 25) ‘Best’ has reached the end-point of intensification and cannot be inflected (by adding ‘very’).  It is an absolute (superlative) word.

“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. (The PUNCH, November 25)

“Robbery: Policeman killed by vigilante group” This way: vigilance group.

“The gallantry effort exhibited by the driver of.…”  Get it right: either gallantry or gallant effort.

“…armed robbers attacked a Lagos bound (a hyphen) luxurious (luxury) bus at the same spot killing some passengers and made (making) away with several millions of naira belong (belonging) to the travellers who were mostly traders.”  What a coarse combination!

“…the mess has simply re-occurred because of the propensity of some of our citizens to flout relevant laws and statutes with impunity.”  Return to the basics: recurred (never re-occurred).

“Haruna had at (on) various occasions stunned the nation by the level of fraudulent practices the former functionaries had being (been) involved.”

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

“Almost 80 per cent of police stations were either razed to the ground or ransacked.”  Obviously, when a property is razed, it sprawls on the ground.  Got the hang?

“The wretched has (have) no voice.”

‘’…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 tools at our disposal.”

“Within few (a few) months of his administration, the crime rate in the state ostensibly reduced to the barest minimum.” What is the function of ‘ostensibly’ here?

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