The Nation Newspaper

Tag: THE GUARDIAN

  • The Guardian and the Army

    The Guardian and the Army

    The Guardian newspapers was set up as one of the best media outfits in a generation when it was born in February 1983. 

    In fact, it was the forte of liberals and intellectuals and every seminal mind strove to appear on its brilliant pages. So fervent was it that its founding publisher followed the liberal tradition and squared off against the army. He lost his life because he exercised an integrity that did not yield to a pettifogging military elite and its tyrannical ways.

    So, when the same newspaper wrote a feature piece that read more like an editorial than a news feature, it was understandable that Bayo Onanuga, the president’s spokesman, roared his exception to the piece. Onanuga said the Guardian, by endorsing that piece, and its palpable pretension to a nuanced story was calling for the army to come back.

    The Guardian has said no such thing was reflected in the article, and that it was a balanced piece. The newspaper that claims to pursue truth and conscience seemed, in this regard, to have lost its ability to assess a story worthy of journalistic excellence.

    First, if any reporter wants to write about military intervention against a democratic government, it should at least hear the point of view of that civilian administration. Maybe they made an attempt, but there is no evidence in that long piece of any comment or refusal to make any comment from the government. Is that their view of balance? They definitely did not reach Onanuga or his staff for comment.

    Two, the piece did not document the various views about the anti-democratic protests, especially in the North. Did they interrogate the report from the office of the National Security Adviser that the calls were sponsored by outside forces? No, the paper did not find that worthy of mention. The NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, also said some of the protesters were sponsored by aggrieved politicians. Was that reflected in the reporting? Of course not.

    Read Also: Inciting military intervention unacceptable, Presidency warns The Guardian

    Two politicians who did not feel happy with the government of President Bola Tinubu made comments that implied a call for the end of democracy. The first was former President Goodluck Jonathan, who said so when he commented on his frustration about the judiciary. The second was former Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who in an undisguised tone, said people should protest not only against the government but that they should protest against voting.

    That implied that there was a partisan aspect to the call for the military. Did The Guardian interview politicians from both sides and why some of them seem to be asking for the army to come back? It was a very narrow way of looking at a story as complex as democracy and the army.

    The report also referred to the harsh policies of the Tinubu administration. Did they look at the policies and what was harsh about them? Did they look at his policies aimed at mitigating the situation? This might have been the value of probing the government part of the story.

    They would have spoken about the palliatives, however flawed. They could have referred to the CNG programmes, the student loan, the credit schemes, the agricultural programmes, the oversubscribed bonds, and other facts.

    They could have looked at whether all the candidates of the last elections promised the same policies? These were not part of the story because The Guardian did not do the balancing act, often needed in such a story.

    The story condemned the coming of the military, to be sure, but it was like speaking from both sides of the mouth, and it is a disguised way of trying to dodge culpability. Of course, illustrating the story with pictures of military tanks would not flatter a democrat about that so-called balanced story.

    Hardball does not believe Alex Ibru, its founding publisher, would celebrate in his grave over what some editors and writers in the newspaper have written, especially when they did not suffer in the media or who did not know what journalists went through when the army oppressed Nigeria.

  • Our story didn’t incite unrest against govt, says The Guardian

    Our story didn’t incite unrest against govt, says The Guardian

    The Guardian yesterday described as misrepresentation of its intention, the Presidency’s statement accusing it of inciting military intervention with its Friday lead story.

    The newspaper’s lead story on Friday is with the headlined ‘Misery, harsh policies driving Nigerians to desperate choices’.

    An open letter to The Guardian by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on Saturday, said  the newspaper “openly incites unrest against President Bola Tinubu’s Administration and advocates regime change under the guise of journalism”.

    The letter added: “The inflammatory headline and content deviate from responsible reporting.

    “The Guardian’s agenda is unmistakable from the cover illustration to the article.”

    But yesterday, the newspaper denied it all.

    Read Also; EFCC: To be or not to be?

    A statement by its management made available by The Guardian weekend editor Kabir Alabi Garba said: ‘’We are most surprised by this grave allegation and hereby reject the Special Adviser’s assertion which is a patent misrepresentation of the newspaper’s report. Contrary to the assertion contained in the press statement, the story is a factually balanced, dispassionate, well-researched and intensive report chronicling Nigeria’s civilian administration from inception to the current state of affairs, without any atom of hateful or inciting elements, remarks, innuendoes, and or connotations against the national and sub-national governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  The publication simply aggregated the concerns of Nigerians across all classes on the troubling state of the nation with the expectation that the government will take the necessary steps to address the challenges. There is nothing in the report that advocates, propagates, endorses or suggests a military overthrow of the current government, as suggested by the Special Adviser.

    ‘’ It is necessary to restate The Guardian’s philosophy as an independent newspaper that owes allegiance to no political party, ethnic community, religious or other interest group. Its primary commitment is to the integrity and sovereignty of the Federation of Nigeria. As depicted by its logo, an ancient Egyptian symbol for conscience, and motto: “Conscience Nurtured by Truth”; The Guardian, has for more than 40 (forty) years proactively demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the promotion of intellectual excellence, balanced coverage of events, consistently upholding the interests of justice, equity, fair play, the rule of law, pursuing integrity in public life, advancing the best interests of professional ethics and responsible journalism, in Nigeria, Africa and globally, anchored upon principles of Truth, Accuracy, Objectivity, and Accountability.

      ‘’The Guardian is strongly committed to the principles of federalism, democracy, rule of law; and holds the seat of government in high esteem. Conversely, it vehemently stands against all forms of coercive government such as military dictatorship, autocracy or any form of misrule. The Guardian will not do, or incite others to do, anything capable of undermining the extant hard-earned civilian dispensation that it fought vigorously for.  As Mr Onanuga rightly acknowledged, The Guardian has had its fair share of adversity from oppressive and suppressive military rule; ranging from the unlawful detention and imprisonment of its journalists, arson attempt on its premises, and assassination attempt on its founding publisher; hence, it abhors any militarised system of governance.

      ‘’Simply put, the publication in contention is a reproduction of Nigerians’ scorecard of the nation’s democratic experiment so far with a two-pronged intent of charging the government to rise to its constitutional twin responsibility of security and welfare of the people.  Besides, the contextual reporting seeks to deter Nigerians, particularly the younger generation, from seeking military or any other unconstitutional intervention. The Guardian, in the publication, clearly extolled civilian government and denounced the military regime as an antidote or solution to the prevailing national problems as many young Nigerians erroneously believe.

       ‘’Meanwhile, an unbiased review of the subject publication will further reveal that The Guardian acted in utmost good faith and for the common good. The Guardian’s action was purely driven by patriotic and nationalistic considerations without any ulterior or malicious intent against the Nigerian governments, whether past or present, as alleged. More important, the publication was made in fulfilment of The Guardian’s obligation (to the country) as imposed by Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) as follows: “The Press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” It is worthy of emphasis that the publication in its entirety is a factual representation of the state of the nation and is completely devoid of any false, inflammatory, and or sensational materials against the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.

       ‘’Recall that the President in his ‘Action Plan for a Better Nigeria’ assured Nigerians as follows: “Senator Shettima and I have traversed every part of our beloved nation, listened to the concerns of our fellow citizens, young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated … all have expressed their views and concerns. People do not seek superficial answers to hard questions. Nor do they want the broken unimaginative failed problems repackaged and fed to them again. They want true and innovative solutions that address the challenging realities of today.”

      ‘’The Guardian story is therefore inspired by this presidential declaration, among others, and, ironically, the presidency appears not to consider it in the light of prompting the government to meet the needs and aspirations of the people, as promised.

      ‘’Globally, the press is the watchdog of society and hence should be allowed by governments at all levels, including the current administration, to play this role of monitoring governance and holding government to account without any form of inhibition. Freedom of the press to hold opinions and disseminate information without interference is a constitutionally guaranteed right which all political officeholders, including the President, swore to uphold, protect, preserve and defend. The Guardian is unapologetically pro-good governance and will continue to advocate national prosperity, an efficient self-reliant economy; and welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen based on social justice and equal opportunity.

      ‘’ In the main, we shall continue to carry out our constitutional duties with all sense of responsibility, fully conscious that Nigeria is all that Nigerians have; and everyone, including governments and the press, must work assiduously to make the country a better place for all,” the statement added.

  • Invest in, not ‘on’

    THE GUARDIAN of October 16 welcomes us today with two headline blunders: “NCC raises alarm (the alarm) on increasing threat to communication services”

    “ExxonMobil invests $40bn on (in) hydrocarbon”

    “At the induction ceremony (sic) of the new provost of Christ Church Cathedral, Lagos, the choir rounded up in the induction ceremony (sic) by rendering an anthem.…” Even the Bible cannot confuse ‘round off’ with ‘round up’!

    “Africa continues to experience sluggish economic growth because more than half of the countries in the continent are among the poorest nations in the world.” Get it right: on the continent.

    “But they point out that the organization had expended all its ammunitions…” ‘Ammunition’   is non-count.

    “The Trans-Saharan Trade which broadened Kan’s fame and fortune dealt principally in slaves and traditional dye-clothings.” This way: ‘clothing’ does not admit any inflection.

    “They had only been paying lip service (a hyphen, please) to the pursuit for agricultural self-sufficiency.” Get it right: in the pursuit of….

    “As they continue to sing… government may be forced to chew its words not too far from now…” Correct expression: swallow one’s (its) words; not chew.

    “In a country where friends share no faith in each other; where the only objective is ‘me and my brother’ must carry the loots. “ ‘Loot’ is non-count.

    “In spite of the air-condition in the car….” It’s called air-conditioner.

    “Passport booklets scarcity worsen” Scarcity worsens.

    “Furthermore, to check all manners of inhumanity to one another….” Standard idiomatic expression: all manner of…

    The next grotesque blunder is from THISDAY of October 31: “His recent errands to Europe for the present administration and his utterances has prompted this essay.” Essay indeed! Verb plurality here is very clear (have; not has).

    “There is bound to be conflicts and if need be wars…” An accord: there are bound to be conflicts…

    “At every fora, that was mouthed even by those in the saddle now.” (THISDAY COMMENT, October 31) This way: At every forum… Singular:  forum; plural: fora or forums.

    “Please switch off all lightings/ appliances after the day’s work.” (Notice on Vanguard Media Limited doors) I think pressmen ought to mind their language: the day’s work. Also, ‘lighting’ is uncountable.

    “To compliment their lean financial purse.…” An example of malapropism: inability to distinguish between ‘complement’ and ‘compliment.’ Some writers need to go back to school!

    “Food production has often failed to keep pace with population growth, while earning from export commodities have not done much.”  Get it right: while earning from export commodities has (not have).

    “What is your recommendation with regards to that?” Either ‘as regards’ or ‘with regard to’ No irregularity!

    “Cuba, Nigeria to strenghten cultural ties” Get it right: strengthen

    “Newspaper pages are repleted with such stories.…” Replete, gentlemen

    “Unfortunately, it was…who blew the lead open.…” It’s ‘lid’; not ‘lead’!

    “But on Monday, hundreds of restive staff of the ministry laid siege around the entrance to the….” (THISDAY, October 31) Lay (laid) siege to; not ‘around’.

    “Among other things, this has repeatedly given rise to late procession of examination particulars.” Get it right: late processing (not procession).

    “But it soon done on the ring leader of the putsch that it was only partially successful.” Bad grammar can hinder a coup! ‘Dawned’ (not ‘done’)

    “He died Wednesday evening in Abuja at Agura Hotel junction within the city in a ghastly motor accident.” When death results from a vehicular mishap, it becomes a fatal—not a ghastly—one.

    “Heavy downpour almost marred proceedings….” ‘Downpour’ does not require any amplification.

    “What tradition has joined together….” (THISDAY, October 31) ‘Join’ can elegantly perform the function of that Biblical phrase!

    “Consequent upon poor funding, the commission’s ability to acquire new vehicles have been greatly impaired.” The syntactic arrangement here calls for ‘has’—not ‘have’.

    “The research institutes should therefore take into cognizance the relevance of local needs, simplicity, economic viability and market acceptance when designing their produces.” ‘Produce’ is an uncountable entry.

    “Its centrality as the link and gateway to the outside world make it all the more pervasive.” Its centrality…makes….

    FEEDBACK

    IT is perhaps too late to object to ‘upliftment’ now. There is upliftment meaning uplift in the dictionary ((see World Book Dictionary, Page 2299). Besides, there are uplifting (adjective), uplift (verb) and uplifter its corresponding noun. More power to your elbow. (BAYO OGUNTUASE, 08056180046))

    IN journalism, Gentlemen of the Press is the appropriate tag irrespective of gender. In the judiciary, Justice Mary Odili is His Lordship. In the Constitution, Chief Justice Aloma Mouktar is the chairman (not chairwoman/person) of the National Judicial Council. This is not a matter of grammar. (KOLA DANISA, 08023323377)

    “We maintain that the government must take the bull by the horn by empowering NDIC….” Formal structure: take the bull by the horns.

    “…winner of the women’s cycling race power home under the rain….” This way: in the rain.

    “FRSC must device its means and ways of self-sustenance.” Noun: device; verb: devise.

    “Everything was available in abundance at the party that was held somewhere in Victoria Island.” Famous folk celebrate on Victoria Island.

    “Already the poor is financially emasculated.…” Even the rich are (not is) equally emasculated.

    “It must also have taken into consideration that the case, if not satisfactorily managed, could become precedence with latent domino effect.”  Any lead writer worth his salt ought to appreciate the distinction between ‘precedence’ and ‘precedent’. Editorial writing is the hallmark of newspapering.

  • Silver, not gold, platter!

    THE GUARDIAN of October 7 nurtured two lapses: “Osun distributes Ebola prevention (Ebola-prevention) materials to schools”

    “Party commends Adeboye over (for/on) position on controversial audio CD”

    “Obituary Announcement” (Full-page advertorial, THE GUARDIAN, October 10) There is no need for ‘announcement’ in the extract.

    “The condolence register for late (the late)…at her resident (residence) in Lagos.”

    “Edo Assembly Speaker, leader arrested over (for) attack on colleague” (THE GUARDIAN Front Page, October 10)

    “Ikpeba wants more critical attention on (to) Eagles’ activities” (THE GUARDIAN, October 6)

    “Dangote projects Africa’s potentials (potential/potentialities) with ‘Marketplace Africa’ on CNN” (Source: as above)

    The next two blunders are still from the above edition of THE GUARDIAN: “…his residence in (on) Victoria island by Standard Chartered Bank is illegal.”

    “Firm chief, EFCC bicker over alleged N120m bribery (bribe)”

    “Renewed clampdown against (on) rice smuggling” (THE GUARDIAN Banner, October 1)

    “…this award appropriately reflects your tireless contributions and selfless service to the upliftment (uplift) of….” (Full-page advertorial by Abia Patriots, THISDAY, October 8)

    “A giant whose strides creates (sic) paths for others to forge ahead” (Full-page advertorial by Casers Group, THISDAY, October 8)

    “Your life is a testimony of (to) success and is an inspiration to us and millions of….” (Source: as above)

    “I join all well meaning (well-meaning) Nigerians to specially congratulate you for (on/upon) this well deserved (well-deserved) honour….” (Full-page congratulatory advertorial by Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu, CON, THISDAY, Saturday, October 4)

    “He deserves national honour, says (sic) Nigerians” (Sunday PUNCH Front Page Sub-headline, October 5)

    “Like (As) my friend says….” (Source: as above)

    “Obituary Announcement” (Full-page advertorial headline by Central Bank of Nigeria, THE PUNCH, October 10) ‘Obituary’ encompasses ‘announcement’.

    “Celebrating the girl-child amidst (amid) many challenges” (THE PUNCH Viewpoint Headline, October 13)

    “Western Union Bank Back to School Promotion” (Full-page advertisement, THE PUNCH, October 13) Get it right: Back-to-School Promotion

    “Jonathan condoles Alamieyeseigha over death of his son” (THISDAY Lead Headline, October 14) A rewrite: Jonathan condoles with Alamieyeseigha over son’s death

    “NASI flags off (inaugurates) cluster-investment concept for agro processors” (Source: as above)

    Wrong: “forthnight”, right: fortnight.

    “It costs between 300 to 1,000 dollars to eliminate each time.…” Between 300 and 1,000 or from 300 to 1,000…. No combination.

    “The only time I was opportuned (opportune or had an opportunity) to watch the low-keyed event….”

    “In this vein, there must be a body regulating employments in these bodies…” ‘Body regulating bodies’ is shallow. ‘Employment’ does not admit any inflection.

    “But since then, the existence of the country has received series of threats of disintegration.” (Nigerian Tribune, October 17) This way: a series of. There should be no delusion about the article preceding ‘series’ (a).

    “Anambra police revokes gun dealer’s (sic) licenses” Let us rewrite: Anambra police revoke gun dealers’ licences.

    “Going by precedence, it means that in about 10 days from today, the minister will be obliged to tell once again how the government performed in the third quarter.” Going by precedent…not precedence (in this instance)….

    “He had probably never seen a balance sheet…talkless of balancing budget.” Balance the sentence by replacing ‘talk less’ with ‘not to talk of’ or let alone (‘talk less’, as a phrasal verb, is a good grammar).

    “It is common knowledge that there is economic crisis in the country resulting to low capacity….” Correct forms: ‘an economic crisis’ or ‘economic crises’ and of course, ‘result in’ (not ‘to’).

    “As earlier mentioned in this piece, lack of funds and machines for exploitation have been the bane of solid minerals production in this country.” Lack of funds has (not have).

    “Altogether the CBN has raked in a whooping N85.362 billion.…”  Why the mix-up between ‘whopping’ and whooping’?

    FEEDBACK

    THE first two external explications this week are from Mr. BAYO OGUNTUASE (08056180046): The governorship ticket, “on a platter of gold” (on a silver platter), was, therefore, a befitting compensation for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s role in the democracy struggle. (Advertorial, THE NATION, October 10, 2014) Usage note: The idiom known to correct English is “to have something handed to one on a silver platter, which means “to get or be given something (e.g. independence/a job or governorship ticket without having to put any effort into it”.

    Ladies and gentlemen of the press or members of the press is preferred to gentlemen of the press. My brother, the spirit of activism goes on. Work hard!

    FROM the columnist: In journalism, there are no ladies (gender discrimination) hence the generic term of ‘gentlemen of the Press’, pockets of feministic opposition notwithstanding. This professional jargon may not have grammatical justification, but has stuck! What do you think dear reader? Let the debate continue. And to SUNNY AGBONTAEN (08055162531): Your SMS on ‘air-crash’ and ‘plane-crash’ is immensely appreciated. Send more!

    THE next two observations are from DONTEXAS EKARIKA, Warri (0807625219): “Jonathan condoles (condoles with) CAN as Numbere dies” (National Mirror, October 20)

    “…the cleric passed on last Wednesday afternoon in Lagos, where he was flown, en route (en route to) Germany for checkup.” (Source: as above)

    SUNDAY ADESINA (08029955388) dispatched this from Kaduna State: “…urging the electorate to be at alert in all ramification (sic)….” This way: be on the alert in all ramifications,

    ‘I’ can precede any name in the subjective if culpability is expressed. Sample this: ‘I and my son spat on the old lady.’ Do have a beautiful Sunday. (Intervention by CHARLES IYOHA), Chairman, Academy Ltd, 07033775454)

  • Remembering a jewel

    Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba, former star reporter of The Guardian and informed commentator, playwright, consummate PR practitioner and drama/communication teacher, belongs to the small tribe of accomplished writers for whom the art and science of writing is in their blood. For that rare breed, any material, incident or event in their life or in the lives of others, whether good or bad, can become a good source for writing even a best seller thriller. They can turn some arcane subject; an innocuous incident that may not have been noticed by even the keenest of observers; a sad or traumatic personal event or an intense private grief into a must read piece. This is true of his self-published book Remembering Rachel.

    If this book had been written in the 16th or 17th century when the vogue then was to have long explanatory titles for books which sort of summarises the theme, it would probably have been titled Seven Years of Pure Marital Bliss: An Interesting Account by the husband himself of The Remarkably Short But Immensely Enjoyable Marriage Life of Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba to former Miss Rachel Ogirri whom He Married on October 12, 2002 and died of Cerebral Malaria in Abuja August 29, 2009 at the National Hospital, Abuja in the hands of sloppy, callous and unprofessional care givers.

    The 290-page coffee table book is an unputdownable account of his fairy tale love affair with his late delectable wife Rachel Ogirri. So gripping is the account of the love of his life that when I started reading it in Abuja on my way to Katsina State by road recently, I did not put it down until I finished it a few kilometres to Zaria in Kaduna State about three hours later.

    Renowned scientist Albert Einstein’s humorous definition of his famous theory of relativity is that ‘’if you sit on the lap of a pretty lady for one hour, it looks like a second and if you sit on a hot stove for one minute it looks like an hour’’. Onukaba’s seven years with Rachel looks like seven seconds and he shows the extreme pain of his loss in the book. Every sentence in the book about Rachel oozes with the author’s passionate love for his dearly deceased wife. You get the feeling that if it were possible to bring Rachel back, Onukaba would have done anything to achieve that goal.

    The book is written to achieve three main goals. To celebrate a life well lived with Rachel though so short it was. Two, to mourn her loss. Three, to lament the decay in our healthcare system as reflected in the poor and uncaring attitude of medical professionals at the nation’s supposed number one medical institution, the National Hospital, Abuja, whose extremely unprofessional conduct the author suspects may have contributed to the death of Rachel.

    The author says the book is his own kind of Taj Mahal to Rachel and that is no idle talk. Rachel dominates the book from the beginning to the end. She is the heroine and no one shares that glory with her. She is the centre of the universe of the Onukaba household and a major planet in the milky highway of the Robert Ogirri family of Ayua-Uzaire in Etsako West Local Government Council of Edo State. Henrietta, Ethel, Oshioke and the author himself feature prominently and may be described as some of the main characters in the book but the story is Rachel’s. Every incident remembered and remarked upon in the book is told in relation to Rachel. Rachel is the orbit, the fulcrum around/upon which everyone in the book revolves.

    The book is divided into 15 chapters each with a short, usually two-word heading and each ending with Rachel. Well planned and produced, every other page is splashed with a full page photograph of Rachel which tells a story of her beauty, her dress sense, an aspect of her life and character and a trajectory in her short but remarkable life. It is not in any way, as the author modestly claims, a modest tribute; it is indeed a monumental literary memorial to love.

    Adopting the breezy, readable, racy and thrilling style he and Dele Olojede had once used in writing Born to Run, the biography of the late Dele Giwa, Onukaba in spite of the enormous pain in his heart, writes a gripping account of his meeting, marrying and living happily after, albeit for only seven short years, with Rachel. It all started with a prophecy. The ill-fated marriage was foretold by a diviner in far-away Iraq. ‘’Towards the end of 1998’’, Onukaba narrates, ‘’Shilan, an Iraqi Kurdish young woman with whom I was in a relationship, had lured me into the home of a Chaldean Christian woman diviner in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil’’. She had brought Onukaba who was then working with the United Nations in Iraq to the Chaldean to know if he was the man she will eventually get married to.

    The diviner studied the coffee sediments in an empty cup she had poured and foretold that Shilan and Onukaba will not go far in their relationship. That Onukaba would return to Nigeria and go through a disastrous brief marriage before meeting the woman he is destined to marry. ‘’Sometimes in April 2002, I was seated in my office in Ikeja. Lagos, when a tall, beautiful lady in black suit and trouser walked in to interview me for a story she had been assigned to write. At the risk of sounding corny, I knew immediately that she was the figure the Chaldean seer had seen in the coffee sediments and had described to me so vividly’’, Onukaba writes. ‘’She is tall, very tall and beautiful. You will be sitting somewhere and she will walk up to you’’, Onukaba said the Chaldean had added.

    Two things stand out about this book. The first is that in spite of the fact that the account is written as a part of mourning a very painful loss, it is, in many places, full of hilarious scenes and recollections. The author gave early notice of this in the introduction (p.8-9) when he told us that the Mughal ruler Shahjahan mobilised 20,000 workers from all over India, Persia and Arabia to build the now world famous Taj Mahal in the Indian city of Agra as a memorial of love to his wife Mumtaz Mahal but that ‘’being not as materially endowed and exercising no royal powers as Shahjahan, I have decided to celebrate the woman who meant the whole world to me by simply writing this coffee table book about her life’’.

    I could not help but jiggle loudly in some other places especially in the chapters Meeting Rachel, Knowing Rachel and Courting Rachel which are by far the most enjoyable portions of the book.

    In the chapter Courting Rachel (page 56-67), the author recounted with some self-deprecating honesty and humour his first time to be formally introduced to Rachel’s family members. ‘’When she first spoke to her family about me, some members expressed concern over the wide age difference between us. Rachel was then 25 and I was 42. Some said age was not an issue. They wanted to know if Rachel was sure she was making the right choice. She said yes’’.

    Rachel was obviously filled with some anxiety as she realised that the wide age gap between her and her would-be husband could cost her the support of some of her people. Wise beyond her years, as her husband described her in another tribute, Rachel took to coaching her intended husband about what to do, say and wear in order to disguise or minimise the age gap. Onukaba himself tells us: ‘’Agbada was ruled out completely so as not to make me look too old. A simple Senegalese-style jumper was picked out for me. I was ordered to get a haircut and to trim my moustache. First impression, I was told, matters a whole lot. I had to make myself likeable’’. The suitor was as anxious as the bride-to-be likeable and accepted by the Robert Ogirri family for he tells us further: ‘’I complied’’, adding: ‘’Love can make a stubborn man suddenly become obedient and submissive.’’

    This particular account of Rachel’s perspicacity and similar others reinforce my own belief that no matter how naïve, inexperienced or innocent a woman might seem to be, she is far ahead of any man, who is even twice her age, in matters of love and relationship. If she wants a man, she knows exactly what to do and will display the kind of uncommon wisdom, go all out to do what is reasonable or expedient in the circumstances to enable her to get the object of her desire.

    The other second thing worthy of note about the book is the courage (love-filled it must be) of Onukaba, a full blooded African man, to publicly tell the story of his love for a woman. You know in Africa, we enjoy love stories but no one wants to tell the intimate part of his own. Love is seen as a women’s thing and no man should be caught confessing love for a woman lest he risks the contempt of fellow men! African men all try to hide their love believing that it is only white people who do such things!

  • Oluwajuyitan got it wrong

    How did all this begin? I find it necessary to provide a timeline because of the nature of the foe I am contending with-who has started playing the victim even when he is one of the most, clever by half, malevolent intruders imaginable. On August 14-about a week after the governorship election in Osun State which the APC won and was duly declared the winner, Dr Jide Oluwajuyitan wrote in specific reference to me…. “the only plausible explanation for a man of good breeding taking sides with those alleged to be deficit in honour, integrity and character is greed for power…..Welcome First Republic, lost through the perfidy of illustrious fathers (Oduola Osuntokun), swept away for choosing to swim against the tide. It is a new dawn for their illustrious scions (Akin Osuntokun) who think they can repeat the same mistake and get a different result”.

    What was my offence here? ‘Taking sides with those alleged to be deficit in honour, integrity and character’. Who are these alleged accused? The PDP and its governorship candidate, Iyiola Omisore. This is the totality of my offence-which he said was a replication of my father’s behaviour in the First Republic-on the basis of which he convicted me and my father of perfidy.

    To buttress this conviction he went ahead and wrote…..according to Akin Osuntokun “many of the NNDP candidates were returned unopposed because the candidatures of their opponents were invalidated fraudulently. Everyone knew that Akintola had stolen the election”, a quote he later admitted is falsely attributed.

    I responded with indignation and characterized this brazen mendacity as typical of ‘criminal betrayal and violation of the tradition of the intellectual avocation’. He wrote a rejoinder on September 18, repeating all these vices with remorseless impunity and renewed vigour. He left me with no option but to join issues with him once again.

    Oluwajuyitan said “I was partly instrumental to his securing a place at The Guardian. Tunji Oseni, one of my mentors who ran my article as Sunday Times editor in the mid-70s, in an effort to rehabilitate his personal assistant, had sent Akin to me for a place at The Guardian. I had advised Akin that a note from Alhaji Jose, our ‘father’ at the Times would carry more weight with Lade Bonuola than my direct intervention. And that was exactly what Akin Osuntokun did to get a place at The Guardian”.

    “I had assured him even while he shouted hysterically on the phone that the quotation which was a documented fact of our history was taken from one of his writings but wrongly credited to him rather than malice”.

    How do you take a documented fact of history from my writings and wrongly credit it to me? If it is a documented fact of history, why do you need to credit it to me? In none of my writings will you find the quote-which source he is yet to produce. Does honour not require that he provides this source and clear the muck of his own making? At any rate, he would soon be compelled to come clean on this.

    What is the truth? I worked with Oseni when he was managing director of Daily Times in the capacity of special assistant and member of the editorial board. We were both relieved of our jobs on the grounds of being NADECO members in 1996. At Oseni’s request, I expressed the desire to work with The Guardian. He got in touch with Bonuola who found me suitable for a seat at The Guardian editorial board. That sums up how I ended up at The Guardian.

    I never ever set my eyes on Oluwajuyitan before my admission to the editorial board of The Guardian. In the first place, anybody who has an inkling of the long standing chubby relationship between Lade Bonuola and Tunji Oseni would find it inconceivable that either of them will require the mediation of a third party to talk to one another let alone a subordinate. As God would have it, there is an existing formal document in which Bonuola himself clarified how I got employed at The Guardian.

    I deem this rejoinder proper and appropriate albeit with reluctance for a number of reasons. First is that the fraudulent infringement on my person was perpetrated on the pages of this newspaper. Second is that the blatant falsehood, if not attended, may provide a peg for misappropriation by like-minded individuals now or in the future. Third is that bending facts and being economical with the truth is objectionable misbehaviour, more so, in the context of intellectual punditry. Fourth is that the misbehaviour speaks directly to the central malaise plaguing this country-a pervasive culture of dishonesty and corruption among the high and low.

    I have to admit that Oluwajuyitan poses a special challenge. I have never had to contend in the market place of ideas with anyone so remorselessly wedded to the impunity of parsing fiction as fact. In doing this he is exploiting and perpetuating the dysfunctions and vulnerabilities of the Nigerian society-the tendency to condone impunity-no matter how brazen; the addiction to scandal mongering; the short attention span and superficial understanding; the latitude and license open to a commentator who has no particular serious audience, a writer who knows that he is not held to any high standard or expectation.

    Oluwajuyitan adduces that Awolowo plucked my father from the classroom and made him minister. If he had not demonstrated negative obsession with my father and had not once held a university teaching career, I would have overlooked this dubious misinformation. Under the parliamentary system of government which was in operation at the time my father served as minister in the Western Region, ministers were appointed from among elected members of parliament (in this instance the regional house of assembly).

    My father got appointed as minister in 1955 on the platform of being an elected member of the western regional house of assembly (since 1951) and he got elected to the regional assembly not as a member of the Action Group, AG, but as an independent candidate.

    Oluwajuyitan credited himself with starting me off in life by facilitating my appointment with The Guardian and spoke of how I didn’t merit my station in life sans my integrity. If, for argument’s sake, we accept his fantasy, then he must have done The Guardian and Nigeria a world of good. I doubt if appointments to the editorial board of a newspaper like The Guardian can be made on any consideration other than merit not to talk of being granted the privilege to write a weekly column-a distinct mark of confidence and regard in my personal competence and capability.

    If any group of Nigerian professionals can be credited with heroic resistance to the Mobutu Sese Seko model of military despotism being incubated by General Sani Abacha that group was the Nigeria media. And without any immodesty intended, I would easily number among the front row members of this group at the material time. If I have a relatively close rapport and association with multifaceted icons like Professor Wole Soyinka, this recognition is the basis of such cherished relationship.

    One would imagine that some issues are too trivial to merit op-ed page discourse. I am not one to introduce myself as a chief but Oluwajuyitan is sufficiently excited about this ornament as to make it an issue in the biography he writes of me-including flaunting a title I am yet to formally receive and from a king I never met before-as typical of the largesse I got under Ayo Fayose’s governorship.

    Now I don’t see much sense in the suggestion that being conferred with a chieftaincy title in my hometown requires the prop of any governor and the other chieftaincy was extended to me in 2009-three clear years after Fayose left office as governor.

    Oluwajuyitan initiated this altercation by questioning my right to the freedom of association-on the basis of which he accused me and my father of greed for power and perfidy. He added salt to this injury by manufacturing statements I never made to demonize me and my Dad. He acknowledged the falsehood by playing the juvenile with the devious apologia above.

    Along with others similarly privileged I started leading opinion in this country through editorials and regular weekly punditry 24 years ago-and for so long have I been receiving commendations from my employers and general public. This record cannot be eroded by the fraudulent revisionism of the Oluwajuyitans.

  • Editing Nigerian editors

    THE NATION ON SUNDAY of August 24 sustained the culture of wrongdoing: “It is commendable that Professor Jega has come out boldly, not only to condemn the development but assure (assure the nation) that the commission would not accept them for future elections.”

    “Can we begin to have confidence on (in) INEC?”

    “Some of these areas include producing enough food to feed our teaming (teeming) population.”

    “Rather, the money, including the N200 million per state released for special purposes, was diverted to other uses.”  We certainly do not need the last three words in the extract, having been taken care of by ‘diversion’.

    “Unless the detonating mechanism of extremist religious chauvinism is diffused….” Get it right: defused (not diffused).

    “They have decided to sheath their machetes and seek vengeance no more.” Noun: sheath; verb: sheathe.

    THISDAY of August 28 requires reformation of four lines: “The sources of revenue in a city like Lagos is very important.” Still on errors of attraction (more below): The sources… are.

    “…business downturn resulting to (in) drive-wandering.”

    “…the rapaciousness of project contractors increase (increases) the country’s debt burden.”

    “Senior civil servants’ union berate junior counterparts” Inside business: union berates.

    THE GUARDIAN of August 28 questioned linguistic rules on two occasions: “It’s the poet feared most, knowing fully (full) well that one of the….”

    “The agitated crowd, who had been whipped to hysteria, demanded for his head.…” To avoid mayhem, delete ‘for’ from the extract.

    “…and which provides a noble and humanistic framework for relations between the state and citizens in (on) our continent.”

    “But in the welter of these realignment of forces…” Re-thinking development: this realignment of forces.

    VANGUARD of August 28 circulated three goofs: “The fear along the room and corridor (corridors) of power of a sovereign national conference.…”

    “It is not in doubt that most of the commuters in the luxurious (luxury) buses that ply.…”

    “…Aba traders constitute a large proportion of the passengers on commercial aircrafts (aircraft) that fly….”

    “Major reorganization of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which may lead to mass retirement and sack of its men and officers, now looms.” Get it right: a major reorganization or major reorganizations, as context demands.

    “One of the most outrageous abuses occurred.…” Spelling in the lurch: occur, occurrence, occurred.

    “I do not buy the argument that the advent of electronic mails and network computers have rendered postal services absolute.” Not yet time for structural proximity: the advent of electronic mails and network computers has (not have).

    “In doing this, however, he must be faithful to the mandate of the ECOWAS Heads of Government under whose platform he operates.” Agenda: on (not under) whose platform he operates

    “As Nigerian editors converge in (on) Katsina for their 10th Annual Meeting.…”

    “A government white paper on the demonstration….” Sheer abuse of words! ‘White paper’ is a report issued by Government to give information. Let’s respect words. After all, reporting is all about telegraphic brevity.

    “UNN students union honour vice chancellor” What is happening? Sub-editors of these days show traces of illiteracy! This way: UNN students’ union honours VC

    “The fact that some people eat food that does nothing for their physical well-being put them in the class of the poor.” The fact…puts.

    “The richer nations who (sic) have more than enough should in this moment of great need and expectation by the poor masses (the masses are basically poor) be their brothers’ keepers.” Standard sociolinguistics: ‘brother’s keeper’—whether one or more.

    “Any further discourse on it, some might say, amounts to nothing but over-flogging a dad horse.”  You flog, not over-flog, a dead horse, talking idiomatically.

    “Like few (a few in this context) years ago, a life cow was allegedly buried….” ‘Life cow’ in place of ‘live cow’ portrays sub-literacy.

    “Opponents of private universities claim that they will aggravate the unemployment problem in the country.” ‘Unemployment’ is certainly a problem—so why compound it by adding another ‘problem’?

    “Denmark has just played an historic role in….” ‘An historic role’ is the type of expression Ndaeyo Uko calls Elizabethan English! Current syntactic trend: ‘a historic…’

    “One of the enduring concerns at the workshop concerned the role and orientation of the military with regards to our democratic aspirations.” Received English: ‘as regards’ or ‘with regard to’.

    “…the two ethnic rivals are now creating the impression that they are about to re-open (no hyphen) their old wounds and embark on another round of strive (strife).”

    “They have in most cases remained willing collaborators in the de-politicization of the political system by acquiescing to virtually all the issues….” Get it right: acquiesce in (not to).

    “And the neglect of such costs lead to political and economic imbalance that create disequilibria in the larger society.” The two verbs in this sentence (‘lead’ and ‘create’) demand singular usage to agree with ‘neglect’ and ‘imbalance.’

    “The criteria for the choice of candidates was based on partisan political loyalties and ethnic considerations.” The plural of ‘criterion’ is ‘criteria’.

    “NSE parleys foreign stock exchange”  ‘Parley’ takes ‘with’, if it must be used in this sense at all.

    By the way, is it not amazing that some Nigerian sub-editors do not know what they ‘N’ in ‘NUJ’ represents? It is Nigeria (not Nigerian) Union of Journalists. One keeps coming across the unpardonable error in reputable newspapers and magazines.

    “All Nigerian Editors Conference Katsina 2014” Editing editors: All-Nigeria Editors’ Conference Katsina 2014

     

  • Wake—not ‘wake keep’

    Wake—not ‘wake keep’

    THE GUARDIAN of September 18 welcomes us to the hall of infamy this week: “The people displaced by the flood apart from being exposed to the inclement weather of mosquito bites resulting into (in) widespread of….”

    “But like (as) I said….”

    “Funeral obsequies…” Just obsequies

    “Christian wake keep service” Call to eternal glory: Christian wake—not ‘wake keep service’ or ‘wake keeping’ as commonly and incorrectly used.

    Last week’s edition of this medium almost crippled the English language with the following gaffes: “Iheanacho, former minister released” Without another comma after ‘minister’ it means two persons were involved, which was not the case.

    “2015: Only performance can earn Jonathan says PDP” A rewrite: Only performance can earn Jonathan ticket, says PDP

    “Hurray!!! (You do not need more than one exclamation mark no matter the depth of excitement!) The chairman of our great party is 77 Birthday (today)” (Full-page advert by Bayelsa State Government, THE NATION ON SUNDAY under reference)

    “That will be the icing on the cake and a true deterrence (deterrent) to others who might be planning to replicate the act.”

    “As members of the late president’s inner cabinet, they practically dictate (dictated) the pace, pulse and policy direction of government.”

    “There are different types of bags in vogue now….” No glamour in this communicative business: ‘vogue’ typifies ‘currency’ (now).

    “There are designer branded ones like….” Box bags for all seasons: designer-branded ones….

    “Another advantage is the room (roomy) space.”

    “Some guys have said that you can (could) find everything in a woman’s bag….”

    Lastly from THE NATION ON SUNDAY under review: “Congratulation (Congratulations): My wife, Suzzette, and I most heartily congratulate you for (on/upon) your worthy contributions….” “Once again, congratulations for (sic) a well deserved (well-deserved) national honour.” (Full-page advert by Chief (Barr.) Ezenwa Nyesom Wike, Honourable Minister of State for Education)

    Vanguard Special Report of September 14 fumbled: “Our grouse with (about) the ICJ judgment, GTA—Gov Imoke”

    “After two years on (in) the saddle, NFF board gives self pass mark…” (DAILY SUN Banner, September 12)

    “This conclusion was arrived at as history is trying to repeat itself again as it is wont to do….” Delete ‘again’.

    “However does the separation of powers that are (is) discernible in government textbooks operate in real life.”

    “It will present events in the two chambers, record achievements, gossips and….” ‘Gossip’ is non-count.

    “The consensus of opinion in the country today….” I insist on ‘consensus’ (without ‘of opinion’).

    “Saturday promises to be a historic day in the annals of the country’s history.” Either: the annals of the country or the country’s history. Mr. Bayo Oguntuase, a popular and respected language activist, believes the extract is correct, but I disagree.

    “Except round pegs are put in round holes, the nation will be the looser (loser) for it.”

    “Whatever happens, the shooting of the minister from our initial analysis might tempt us to point all the accusing fingers toward the west.” Before the darkness: point the finger at the west.

    “Osun police impounds N650m worth of cars.” Get it right: Osun police impound….

    “US terrorist suspect to plead innocent” This way: innocence.

    “If you have crisis, you will sit down in a roundtable and resolve the difference.” Either a crisis or crises—depending on context—and resolve the differences.

    “This, therefore, means that the power and authority of governments become government of all people not just of their party faithfuls (faithful).”

    “Communities demand for new council in Yobe” For the last time, ‘demand’ as a verb does not admit ‘for’ except in noun applications.

    “If 42 years after the war, there is still what is called abandoned property, and the Igbo is (are) still….”

    “The police on September 20 gave details of its preliminary investigations into.…” Newspaper of the Year: their preliminary investigations….

    “One had expected the government to find out where the arms and ammunitions Boko Haram members use come from.” Breeding murderers: ‘ammunition’ is non-count.

    “Also, corporate bodies and wealthy individuals have been falling over themselves (one another) to host the Paralympians.”

    “For this reason, it is an affront on (to) democracy and representative government for the ACN leader to demand dissolution of the senate.…”

    “You must have read all manners (manner) of eulogies and tributes.”

    “The rumour is still making (doing or going) the rounds, an evidence that the rumour mill is in good and perfectly working condition in our dear country.”

    “We probably would have stomached the distasteful script if nobody has (had) thought hired assassins (assassins are usually hired!) should be included in the cast.”

    “The relationship between the politicians and the administrators have (has) been known to either make or mar….”

    “Ondo polls: five groups kick-off Mimiko’s re-election campaign” Phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation. For how long shall we continue to harp on this, gentlemen of the press?

    “On Thursday, the union suspended its strike after an Abuja high court has (had), in my view, correctly, declared it illegal, its advert stating its grouse against (about) the government was published in some dailies.”

    “This is not to discountenance the possibility of groups of the men of sordid yesteryears planning to go violent.” Matters arising: apart from the clumsiness of the extract, ‘yesteryear’ is uncountable.

    “The dramatis personae was (were).…” Singular: dramatis persona; plural: dramatis personae.

    “With study centres springing up across the country, this category of students including matured (mature) persons….”