Defecting, Not Decampee, Politicians
Expression By Ebere Wabara
VANGUARD Views Page of December 9 opens the floodgate of solecisms today: “The spontaneous reactions and destruction that trailed the annulment of the 1983 presidential election was (were) the….”
“This explains the negative perception to (of) the defection of politicians….”
“Decampee (Defecting) politicians and their hosts are birds of a feather….”
“The nation remains the losers (loser) with this type of attitude to politics.”
“…a clog (cog) on (in) our wheel of progress.” A cog in the machine/wheel….
Next is Blueprint of December 10: “Represented at (on) the occasion by the Federal Director of Fisheries….”
“…before placing an import ban on same (the same).”
“NGO sensitizes students on (to) drug abuse”
“I remember a young man who visited me at home one early morning during the recent ASUU strike in company of (with) his mother to….”
“FG’s fish import policy not our headache says trawler owners” Business & Finance: a comma after ‘headache’ and non-inflection of ‘say’ would have conferred class.
“Radio presenter arrested over (for) fake death announcement”
THE NATION ON SUNDAY COMMENT of December 3 indulged in illiterate lexical homilies trebly: “…the immense hardships majority (a majority) of Nigerians are going through.”
“Our leaders were elected to utilize their minds and talents in seeking for solutions to…as President Tinubu’s remarks suggests (why?)….” Without sermonizing, delete ‘for’!
Overheard: “Do not pull my legs (leg).” To ‘pull somebody’s legs’ could be fatalistic! But, take the bull by the horns (not horn, as most people say or write).
“Xmas: Gov sets up vigilante group” Get it right: vigilance group.
“More time sought for voters (voters’) registration” Also: voter registration (preferably)
“HIV/AIDS: Family Health International rounds up Alive 2023” Living Healthy: It is sickening that a reporter and his sub-editor colleague cannot differentiate between ‘round off’ and ‘round up’!
”We forget that the way we handle such matters speaks volume (volumes) of the kind of people we are.”
“National integration was based on coerciveness resulting to (in)….”
“This is not to say that ethnic chauvinism or hatred are non existence (is non-existent) in Yugoslav politics….”
“Africa is steeped in fetish wickedness, ancestral and generational curses, jealous friends, aunts, and unhappy mother-in laws et cetera.” It could be you: mothers-in-law.
“Tinubu-bashing has suddenly become a national past time.” In defence of Asiwaju: pastime (note the spelling).
“Doctors strike: A post mortem” Get it right: Doctors’ strike: A post-mortem
“…Government should be able to rely on foreign medical expatriates in building a strong healthcare delivery system.” ‘Foreign expatriates’? Please, gentlemen, are there local, domestic or internal ones?
“The kind of danger African soldiering has continued to pose to the political development and stability in (on) the continent.”
“Fate of foreigners hang (hangs) in the balance”
“Dangote signs-on (signs on) 40 distributors” Phrasal verbs abhor hyphenation.
“We most certainly have not heard the last about the convoy crash and the woe and blood it left in (on) its trail.”
“…the huge confidences reposed on (in) them by the populace.”
“They are the products of what some people did or did not do over a period of time but whose climactic effect culminated into (in) catastrophe.”
“The trajectory of these actions and inactions have (had) identifiable patterns.…”
“Yes, we must stop celebrating looters and mediocres of Nigeria.” Get it right and choose from any of these: mediocrities or the mediocrity. ‘Mediocre’ is an adjective, an absolute, that cannot function as a noun.
“We congratulate the seven illustrious Nigerians for (on/upon) their staggering achievement which cannot….”
“But, while the governor may have been a rebel among the army of Jonathan’s political faithfuls….” Gov. Amaechi, rebel with a cause: Jonathan’s faithful (not faithfuls).
“He stuck to his gun (guns) and prodded himself up as one of the candidates in the election.”
“Bank assures on ethical practices” Who did the bank assure?
“Ward chairmen pass ‘no confidence’ vote on councilors” Not news: confidence vote in (not on) councilors.
“…the lives of the young officers comprising of some…” To avoid shame and morphological fatality, delete the second ‘of’!
Apart from the roads, the water and light were, and still are, fallouts of community development efforts.” Politics Today: ‘fallout’ is non-count, dear colleagues.
“Tariff reduction as a soothing balm for music industry” What is the function of a balm? Is it not to soothe? So, why soothing balm’?
“When the affected states demanded for payment in full…” ‘Demand’, when applied as a verb, does not admit ‘for’, except in noun usages.
“By the time the past administration wounded up (this is sheer idiocy and illiteracy!) the PTF at inception in 1999….” This goof should not be a challenge even to pupils in a transition (fundamental) class! Just wound up
“The same goal has been restated again.” The new lexical regime: obliterate ‘again’ in the interest of truth and reason.
“Where is judicial precedence?” Why is it difficult for sub-editors to distinguish between ‘precedence’ and ‘precedent’ (which applies here)?
“Undoubtedly, the police has (have) suffered serious institutional constraints such that its (their) combat readiness…”
“It is only reasonable and logical to expect that what is good (sauce) for the military goose is also good (sauce) for the police gander.”
“The article was an insult on the Federal Government, the National Assembly and an affront on the ICPC and its competent and hardworking staff.” Justice in service of community: an affront to (not on) the ICPC. And, of course, an insult to (not on) the FG.
