2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Parliament Leader Under Pressure to Re

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
27 September 2007

Critics of Nigeria's parliament speaker say the report of a panel of legislators which indicted¹ her about contracts to renovate² two official residences and buy 10 cars is sufficiently³ grave to warrant impeachment⁴ proceedings⁵. In Abuja, Gilbert da Costa has been following the debate and files this report for VOA.

 

Influential⁶ members of the Nigerian House of Representatives say removing Patricia Etteh as speaker should be the first task of parliament, when it reconvenes in mid-October.

 

Several lawmakers say they expect the speaker to resign before then. Akin⁷ Oyebode, a professor of law at the University of Lagos, believes that is the most reasonable thing to do, under the circumstance.

 

"Some of us had expected her to have stepped aside, long before now. I assume that, in two weeks when the House reconvenes, she would not be around, presiding," said Oyebode. "I would assume that there will be a speaker ex tempore that would take over affairs. I think this is the time for her to throw in the towel. She has being caught napping and this malfeasance will not go away. Her tenure⁸ is irredeemably flawed and I don't see her returning, in good conscience, as speaker."

 

The nine-member investigative panel says the House of Representatives leadership violated the rules in approving contracts, worth $5 million, to renovate the speaker's 10-bedroom official residence and that of her deputy. Etteh also approved the purchase of 10 luxury cars for the House leadership.

 

The report notes there was no budgetary provision and no public bidding for the contracts, contrary to rules governing the award of public contracts.

 

In a country where more 70 percent of the citizens live on less than $2 a day, the contracts have provoked very angry reactions.

 

The furor⁹ about the scandal has caused lawmakers to come to blows on the floor of the lower legislative¹⁰ chamber¹¹.

 

Etteh, the first woman to occupy Nigeria's number-four political post, has denied any wrongdoing in approving the contracts, saying due process was followed.

 

President Umaru Yar'Adua has pledged zero tolerance¹² for corruption¹³ in a country considered one of the most tainted¹⁴ in the world.

1 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

2 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

3 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

4 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

5 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

8 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

9 furor   

n.狂热；大骚动

参考例句：

• His choice of words created quite a furor.他的措辞引起了相当大的轰动。
• The half hour lecture caused an enormous furor.那半小时的演讲引起了极大的轰动。

10 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

11 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

12 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

14 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》