2007年VOA标准英语-Nigeria Seeks to End Corruption in Oil Industry

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
12 July 2007

An audit¹ to enhance accountability and transparency in Nigeria's oil industry has been launched. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that while oil firms and politicians have benefitted from oil revenues, the wealth has not trickled² down to ordinary citizens.

 

delta3 region looks at flames from an oil company's gas flare4. The region is beset by kidnappings and sabotage." hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070714/1036590.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

A resident of Nigeria's oil-rich delta region looks at flames from an oil company's gas flare, Jan 2007

The United Nations says despite hundreds of billions of dollars in oil revenues, about 70 percent of Nigeria's population of 140 million live on less than $2 per day. The World Bank estimates about $300 billion of government oil funds are unaccounted for.

 

The spokesman for the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, Waziri Adio, says a recent audit of oil revenues established significant discrepancies⁵.

 

"A study covered the period between 1999 and 2004, and that audit discovered many lapses⁶ in the way the industry was being run," said Adio. "There were glaring lapses and discrepancies."

"The audit report confirmed there were sharp practices at different points of the industry. We want to be doing this audit so that people actually know how much oil we are pumping, how much is being paid to government and how government is using it," he added.

 

The government enacted⁷ a revenue transparency provision into law on May 28. The new law empowers the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative to monitor oil revenues, and as Adio explained, to apply sanctions when necessary.

 

"We have a law backing up the operations of NEITI and also giving NEITI the mandate⁸ to do its job," said Adio. "The law also has a sanctions clause; that if government agencies and oil companies default in providing timely and accurate information there are punishments."

 

Lack of access to the oil wealth is driving widespread discontent and violence in the oil producing region in the south.

1 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

2 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

4 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

5 discrepancies   

n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work 这项工作的报价出入很大
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

7 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。