Ebere Wabara YOU are welcome to this special edition: “Herdsmen (Herdsmen’s) attack: Okpebholo inaugurates security, boundary committees” “…who have commenced investigation on (into) the case since the video surfaced online.” “Action Collective raises alarm (the alarm) over plot against Natasha” “…the Almighty God will take you to higher pedestal.” Either a higher pedestal or higher pedestals. “Igbo group urges FG to consider restructuring amidst (amid) rising insecurity in Benue” “Why more accidented (accident) vehicles are flooding Nigeria” “More grease (power) to your elbow.” Don’t grease The Bull, please. “The worst human being is a policeman or soldier who will take arms from his own formations and sell it (them) or hide it (them)….” Maritime: “Apapa Customs remits N1.875trn into (to) FG’s coffers in 10 months” “Ladies of St. Mulumba Nigeria to hold annual convention in…” Where, please? “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire family of late (the late) Senator…” “Nothing will work as long as we keep tying the level of exchange rate to our consumptions.” The last word in the extract is uncountable. “…were the one (ones) going to Parliament (unnecessary capitalization).” “We decry the national embarrassment cased her by the gross negligent (negligence) of duty by AFN and NOC officials.” “Trade policy yielding result as balance hit (hits) N6.5trn…” “Forced retirement: Police officers lament IG’s non compliance (non-compliance) with court (court’s) ruling” “All eyes on Reps over constitution review exercise” Please delete ‘exercise’ in the interest of word economy. Yet another set of headline foibles: “KWASU partners USA, China (Chinese) coys on solar energy” “Kogi farmers’ association allege (alleges) diversion of N1bn agric fund” “Do they know it’s International Women’s Day” What of the question mark? “Somalia (Somali) president attacked by al-Shabab” “…you have raised the bar of governance which will ever remain difficult for mediocre (mediocrities/mediocrists/the mediocre) to attain….” (Full-page advertisement) ‘Mediocre’ is an adjective. “Benue 2027: PDP at crossroads over governorship candidate” This way: at a/the crossroads “Nigerians are, however, skeptical about the level of compliance to (with) the laws guiding the scheme….” “The governing council, members, management, staff & students of Osun College of Education, Ilesa (another comma) felicitates (how?)….” “As a symbol, your strides lead the way and inspires (what is going on here?) the hope of a brighter and rewarding future.” (Half-page advertorial by the above institution) “Any one (sic) with useful information (police cliché: would it have been useless information?) about his where about (sic) (whereabouts) should….” (Full-page advertorial by the FIRS) Daily Independent online of July 23 circulated headline and body flaws: “Those who say Ibadan don’t (doesn’t) serve gov twice are poor students of history” “LASU students, JAF protest over (against/at/about) fee hike” Let us extend our searchlight to Leadership of July 23: “…work for the restoration of peace in (to) northern Nigeria.” From the editorial to opinion page: “…the citizenry still needs (need) his enormous wealth of experience to stir us to path of rectitude.” “All Anambra (All-Anambra) LG soccer championship set to kick off” “…we had been invited on (to/for) a facility tour by the governor.” “I thought the governor would ride in his official car, or join us in the bus as many other governors have (had) done on trips to other states.” “We went round Owerri metropolis, seeing state of the art (state-of-the-art) schools….” “Issues in the Chibok schoolgirls abduction” A syntactic surgery: Issues in Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction “Royal father disowns vigilante (vigilance) group” (DAILY TRUST, July 23) The Guardian of July 22 toyed with morphological truth: “Parents of abducted female students of the Government Girls (Girls’) Secondary School….” The Guardian must be underestimating its readers’ intelligence: would it have been male students in a girls’ school? “The aggrieved and traumatised (traumatized, preferably) parents spoke at (on) the premises of the destroyed school when….” “Umar, Southern Taraba leaders trade words over frequent crisis (crises)” “Nigeria has best disease surveillance (disease-surveillance) system in Africa” “SURE-P assures over funding of East-West road” Who did the agency assure? “…the ordinary poor man in the street….” The ‘man in the street’ does not require any embellishment!
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