English is a big problem in Nigeria. Sometimes, I feel like telling some people to "sharrraaapppp! and resit WASC".
It's different if you didn't go to school. But for a secondary school leaver to still say "He have", is simply not acceptable. It's spoken even in some high places, by some big Ogas. And I keep wondering.
Did they write their WASC in native language? How have they been coping with appraisals which surely have "Communication Skills" as an item?
"Those people says"😊
"Sometimes ago...."😕
"She want to...."
"I have attach.... "
"Please find attach the document"😕😕😕
In Lagos of all places?
No! My friend, go back to school😕
Things have really fallen apart. Many of our fathers didn't pass through the University. Many stopped at Standard Six.
But check out grammar and calligraphic. You won't believe.
With that, they moved our Railways, our P & T, our Leventis, our Kingsway stores! They didn't disgrace us before our colonial masters.
But today?
We even disgrace ourselves with our grammar and all you need is to pay attention, read novels and generally make efforts.
This is just by the way.
Today, I want us to make an attempt in distinguishing between two words: "Civilian" and "Criminal".
What could possibly be the difference?
I thought a "Criminal" could also be a "Civilian" and vice versa.
See what set me thinking!
"They're civilians and not criminals" - Mr Putin, President of Russia on the two men being accused of administering some nerve agents to two people in the UK.
For a long time, politicians have confused us with "political English":
*men of timbre and calibre
*heating the polity
*ambassador at large
*ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary(K.O. Mbadiwe😊). Surprisingly, this is also recognised and used in the US and simply means "an ambassador with full powers to represent his country".
Recently, even before they came out clean, we proved it here that NNPC was selling their imported petroleum products at below cost price.
People called it a "subsidy". They refused but admitted it hits our "foreign reserves"😊
And I kept wondering.
So, when Mr Putin said what he said, I decided to find out.
Definition 1!
"Merriam-Webster Dictionary - SINCE 1828
Definition of criminal
1 : relating to, involving, or being a crime, criminal neglect, a criminal organization
2 : relating to crime or to the prosecution of suspects in a crime, criminal statistics, brought criminal action, the criminal justice system
3 : guilty of crime; also : of or befitting a criminal, a criminal mind
4 : disgraceful
It's criminal how unfunny this comedy is. —Rick Bentley"
Definition 2!
"Wikipedia!
A civilian!
A civilian is "a person who is not a member of the military or of a police or firefighting force". The term "civilian" is slightly different from a non-combatant under the law of war, as some non-combatants are not civilians (for example, military chaplains attached to the belligerent armed forces or neutral military personnel). Under international law, civilians in the territories of a party to an armed conflict are entitled to certain privileges under the customary laws of war and international treaties such as the Fourth Geneva Convention. The privileges that they enjoy under international law depends on whether the conflict is an internal one (a civil war) or an international one.".
Still no solution😊
I went further and goggled "difference between a civilian and a criminal".
I found something and it's beginning to make sense!
"Difference between a criminal and a civilian!
Civil identification determines if the person has any prior criminal arrest record.
Criminal is for determining the individual's prior record and/or recordings.
Fingerprint records are maintained in civil and criminal repositories in America. Civil fingerprint identification, such as occurs with police or soldiers entering into public service, is the recording of a person's fingerprints primarily for the purposes of:
Determining the person has no prior criminal arrest record.
Verifying the person's identity at a later date.
Criminal fingerprint identification is the recording of an arrested person's fingerprints primarily for the purposes of:
Recording the arrest and/or conviction information in a permanent file associated with that person.
Determining the person's true identity if they have used other names for previous arrests.
Determining the person's prior arrest/conviction record.".
See what I can figure out!
Putin was trying to say those people did not have prior criminal records. They were therefore not known hit men sent by Russia to wreck any havoc. They probably acted on their own, if at all.
Recall Mr Putin and Russia couldn't deny outright this time around. Britain captured those men on their CCTV from train station to train station until they flew out. No escape route!
The world of spying and intelligence is interesting but dangerous. Once you're caught, you're strictly on your own. All negotiations are not open.
Not many countries will publicly own up their spies (who love me - remember that film?😊)
Please keep your money - it's still a free class. So your sin will not be on my head if you "mud financially"😕
Someone just committed suicide in Abuja 2 days ago. A man with family. He left a note he couldn't push it any longer. He could no longer feed his family and nothing makes sense again(Recall staples like yam are off the menu now. Bread just might follow soon. Floods are devastating farmlands from where the rampaging herdsmen stopped. So, Financial Derivatives projected our inflation rate has bottomed out at about 11.15%. It can only go up from here.)
He took "oke rie onwuo"(rat poison) and bade this sinful world goodbye.
It's such a pity. A great pity!
I remain Sam
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