Concerted Effort, Not ‘Efforts’

Ebere Wabara

“AT last, TCN restores power in (to) Bayelsa, Ahoada, after 5 months”

“The alarming figure of out-of-school children in Nigeria calls for concerted efforts (effort) by state governors to urgently cooperate with UBEC.”

“N131m to be won as Union Bank unveils 4th Season of Save and Win Palli Promo” Get it right: save-and-win promo

“Customs: Tin Can Comptroller commended over (for) N1trn IGR”

Mirror of November 20 collects the baton this week with error superfluity: “One injured, five cars burnt in Lagos fire outbreak” We can do without ‘outbreak’!

“The SSG, apart from being corky (cocky) and arrogant….”

“I can get the information in few (a few) minutes.”

“Post harvest (Post-harvest) loss threatens Nigeria’s agricultural transformation”

Still on Mirror: “Shell commissions (use another verb—this is overused!) $3m Centre for Environmental Management and Control at UNN”

“Alumni donates (donate) building to college (alma mater contextually preferable)

“New FUNAABSU executive sworn-in (sworn in)”

“Education students elect new leaders” Yank off ‘new’: you either elect or re-elect leaders—one of which takes care of ‘new’ or ‘old’!

“Minister assures on job creation” Who did the minister assure?

Lastly from Mirror under review: “Southern Kaduna protests persistent herdsmen (herdsmen’s) attacks” 

“Confab: I won’t support break up (break-up)…”

“National Confab: Don’t trade-off (trade off) Igbo future”

“One of the death victim” (Metro Caption) A rewrite: One of the dead victims

From Mirror we move over to THE NATION ON SUNDAY of December 1 which circulated copious errors: “As the curtains for this year’s National Conference opens (open) tomorrow in Abuja…politics of delegates (delegates’) selection and disagreements trailing the confab.”

The next observations in the preceding medium were made by Mr. Kenneth Ugbechie: “Political forces arraigned (arrayed) against….”

“A grand plan to pitch (pit) people against the ruling party….”

Wrong: Air Marshall; right: Air Marshal

Finally from the political economist: “The bill passed by the State Assembly has not been accented (assented) to by….

“Consequent to (upon) skirmishes between cattle rustlers and local residents in some communities in Katsina State…Government condole (condoles with) the families of those who lost their lives and sympathize (sympathizes) with the injured. The Katsina State Government has therefore constituted a Committee (unnecessary capitalization)…to immediately swing into action to access (assess) the unfortunate incidence (incident), renderassistance (sic), advice (advise) on measures to stamp out the banditry and forestall future occurance (sic) (forestall recurrence).” (Full-page advertorial press release signed by Katsina State Government)

THE NATION ON SUNDAY COMMENT (EDITORIAL) of the edition under review fumbled: “…to seek divine intervention to (in) the insurgency that has led to killings of….”

SATURDAY INDEPENDENT online edition of November 30 goofed on a few occasions: “PDP petitions INEC over voters registration in Ekiti” Get it right: voter registration

“I mistaken ammunitions for tubers of yam, says arrested driver by customs” A rewrite: I mistook ammunition for yam tubers, says driver arrested by Customs

 “As is peculiar with (to) every other country….” 

“Right from childhood…has (had) always shown exceptional qualities that stood him out among equals.”

“N584m debt: Engineer offers out of court settlement with bank” In the dock: out-of-court settlement

“Quincy Ayodele calls it quit (quits)”

“…was one of his most successful work (works)”

“Baptist Girls (Girls’) Academy holds inter house (inter-house) sports competition”

 “A spinster, before her death, Toyin worked with one of the leading banks in the country.”  The burden of aging: You work for (or in) an organization, but with people.

“Hence, Sanwo-Olu’s order to the water corporation to immediately put its acts together and perform was welcomed by the long-suffering people of the state.”  This way: get its act together.

“It would be recalled that sometimes (sometime) last year (a comma) the water corporation had muted the idea of fully commercializing its operations so as to generate part of its targeted revenue of N100 million monthly.”  It is astounding that an editorialist cannot distinguish between ‘mute’ and ‘moot’!

“…if at all it does settle and after the looser community has (had) retreated to lick its wounds…” No clash: loser-community.

“Lack of strong moral values and chastity undermine societies…”   Error of attraction: lack of values and chastity undermines.

“The offence was allegedly committed at about 5.a.m last week” Stick to one: at or about 5 a.m.; don’t leave readers pondering!  Timing is all about exactitude.

“…the craze for titles seem to have reached unprecedented tragic proportions.”  Error of attraction, again: the craze for titles seems.

“The existence of the cult and many others seem to have.…”  Yet another error of attraction: existence…seems.

“The speech started with an historic, conciliatory concession.”  Some currency: a historic concession.

“The fears expressed over the controversial trial by counsels to the former bank executives….” ‘Counsel’ is uncountable.

“The lie spurn by Ochendo and his accomplices have become a reality, as women….” Not yet time for proximity: The lie spurn by Orji and his accomplices has (not have).

“Sokoto swears-in revenue recovery tribunal members” Phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation.

“…they leave innocent citizens about their honest business devoid of money, wristwatches, jewelleries”  ‘Jewellery’ (jewelry: American spelling) is non-count.

“The craze for everything foreign is now the vogue in all circles.”  ‘Vogue’ implies currency and thus makes ‘now’ redundant.

“There were instances where the credibility of Nigerian certificates were queried abroad.” Not time for verbal proximity: credibility of certificates was queried….”

“He is believed to be financially virile enough to do battle with his fellow noveau rich (sic) that are angling for the Government House.”  Standard expression: nouveaux riches (plural).