EBERE WABARA

ewabara@

“…appeal to the discredited tactics of past times also wreak havoc on the procedural sanctity of the democratic path.” (Vanguard, November 2) Notes of disquiet: pastime.

“Out-of-control trailer crushes 15 persons to death” When people are crushed by a trailer, they cannot be alive except there is divine intervention. So, ‘crushed to death’ smacks of lexical insensitivity.

The following faulty extracts are from DAILY SUN of November 13: “Police arrest 5 foreigners over (for) cattle grazing”

“We will proudly present for Mr. President’s commissioning (inauguration) two 700-metre long (700-metre-long) dual carriage flyover bridges along the transSaharan Africa Highway….”

“A delegate of the PDP in Ogun State… slumped and died in the early hours of Thursday in an hotel in Abeokuta, the state capital.” This is certainly the old school genre. New class: a hotel.

“Police absolves security agencies of electoral fraud” It would be astounding for the Nigeria Police to indict fellow state gangsters! And, of course: police absolve (not absolves).

“…even if it means going extra miles….” I will go the extra mile (note the fixed expression) to ensure that this column appears unfailingly every week. “And like (as) someone said recently….” “…in the evacuation of dead bodies to mortuary.” On a clinical note: corpses instead of ‘dead bodies’ and a mortuary or mortuaries, depending on the fact of the matter.

“…as well as condoning the place and evacuating the dead and survivors to nearest health facilities.” Bomb blasts and conflicting figures: cordoning off (take note of the spelling and correct entry) the place.

“There seems (seem) to be stiff competitions among the foreign media and local press as well as….”