YOU are welcome today: “Cladded (Clad) in black, they came in connection with….”
“I am making this post only because an unusually heavy downpour (because a downpour)….” We can also talk of ‘torrential rains’, but certainly not ‘heavy or torrential downpour’ because the rainfall intensity is encapsulated in ‘downpour’. In other contexts, we also have ‘showers’, ‘drizzles’, ‘light/heavy rainfall’ etcetera.
“The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) said on Tuesday that the fate of…are now in the hands of their shareholders.” (DAILY INDEPENDENT Business, August 17) No commercialese: the fate of banks is (not are).
“The testimony of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former CSO to late General Sani Abacha….” A fox and his bagful of yarns: former CSO to the late General Sani Abacha.
“The corporation said it is (was) determined to protect depositors by all means.” (THISDAY, August 15)
“Food crop production has declined rapidly and this is largely attributable to soil despoilation….” Frequent oil spills in the Niger Delta axis: despoliation.
“Money speaks, we will interprete” (National News, August 15) Spell-check: interpret.
“He said the taking over of these banks by AMCON will (would) not….” (Source: as above) Yet another Business English (commercialese)!
Still on the preceding edition: “It is very unfortunate that in a country with a shattered and troubled education sector like ours….” Counting the cost of dormant funds: educational sector
“The boys who were to kill us started fighting themselves” This way: The boys fought one another (not themselves). Except, of course, they were on a suicide mission!
“English Premiership kicks-off in grand style” (THE GUARDIAN, August 13) This is incongruent with flagship journalism: inclusion of hyphens in phrasal verbs!
“Banks exorbitant charges: Accusing fingers point at regulators” (SATURDAY TRIBUNE, August 13) A rewrite: Banks’ (take note of the apostrophe) nationalization: The finger points at regulators
“Adanma who is based in the United States and works as a medical personnel….” (Source: as above) ‘Personnel’ is a collective noun and cannot function as used. Get it right: a medical official, employee, worker, service provider, assistant, hand…
“President Buhari has warned that forceful takeover of power through coup d’etats will no longer be tolerated….” (THE GUARDIAN, August 12) Conscience, nurtured by truth: coups d’ etat.
“Wike mourns late Hausa leader” (DAILY INDEPENDENT, August 12) The governor couldn’t have mourned someone who was alive! So, he mourns Hausa leader.
“Veteran golfers converge at Ikeja club” (Source: as above) Let’s go golfing as we converge on Ikeja Club.
“…maintained that Ojukwu was hale and healthy in a far away (faraway) London hospital.” (THE GUARDIAN, August 11) For the recuperation of Ikemba Nnewi: hale and hearty.
Nigerian TRIBUNE of August 11 circulated two embarrassing errors: “…even foreigners who should ordinarily be living in utmost circumspection have the effrontory and confidence to dupe Nigerians and even kill them.” No lexical quackery: effrontery.
“We shudder to imagine how many of these foreigners are involved in various forms of criminality which the lax security system of the state have (has) permitted.”
“He will do it well, but if you give it to a mediocre….” (DAILY INDEPENDENT, August 11) People and Power: a mediocrity or mediocrist. ‘Mediocre’ is an adjective.
“FRSC records 180 causalities in Kogi” (National News Headline, August 10) Spell-check: casualties.
“Customs seize N25bn goods” (THE PUNCH, August 10) Customs seizes.
“She argued that a pact such as is being advocated for by the lawmakers amounted to Nigeria’s re-orientation.” Remove ‘for’.
“I searched in vain for the Ministry of Defence and, unless the text I had was defective, it was conspicuously absent.” ‘Absence’ does not require any qualification. Simply, it was absent.
“His Excellency…Ambassador Extraordinary (Extraordinaire) and Plenipotentiary….”
“In fact, the situation has degenerated from that of epileptic power supply down to that of complete blackout which in most cases lasts from weeks to months.” ‘Blackout’ does not need any modifier—it means total extinction or concealment of lights.
“The reasons range from power generation limitation to the use of overaged (overage), antiquated and arsenic hydro-terminal plants and so many others too numerous to mention.” Agreed that ‘overage’ means ‘too old’ (used mostly for human beings), but for contextualization and language grasp, ‘obsolete’ (for inanimate things) should have been it.
“Many people have lost their household properties as a result of uncontrolled power voltage.” Time to remove the immunity of DISCOs: property (not properties) in this context.
“The consensus of opinion in the country today.…” Despite the pockets of debate on what some learner’s dictionaries say, I insist on consensus (without opinion, which is optional anyway).
“It is also an open secret that a cabal of highly placed sacred cows holds the fuel distribution process in the country to ransome. “ Spell-check: ransom.
“Council chairmen and legislators at the council, state and federal levels would also later be sworn-in (sworn in) for the take off (take-off) of the Fourth Republic.” Again, phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation.
“The Yorubas, Igbos and even Northern minorities have grudges….” English is no politics: the Yoruba, the Igbo and the Northern minorities.
“Except round pegs are put in round holes, the nation will be the looser (loser) for it.”
“It is arguable if the current spate of advancement (advancements) recorded in the area of….”
“Thank God he is concerned at (about/for/over/in—depending on context—never at) the security situation.”
“There were other ministers in the last dispensation who performed creditably well, but who were not re-appointed.” Get it right: ministers who performed creditably or well. ‘Creditably well’ is an over-kill. Both cannot co-function.