VOA常速英语2008年-Nigerian Lawmakers Probe $16 Billion Spending o

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
12 February 2008

Nigeria's House of Representatives, the lower chamber¹ of parliament, has opened a probe into allegations former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent $16 billion on the power sector², with no tangible³ result.  For VOA, Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports the disclosure has prompted calls for a wider corruption⁴ probe of the past administration.
 
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer with a daily output of 2.6 million barrels at peak production.  It has a long history of severe power shortages caused by insufficient⁵ capacity and problems with transmission lines.
 
In a bid to address Nigeria's intractable power crisis, former President Olusegun Obasanjo committed about $16 billion to the sector, during his eight-year rule. The administration had targeted the goal of 10,000 megawatts of electricity by the end of it's tenure⁶ in 2007.  However, power generation remained stagnant⁷.
 
The House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel, which has been given four weeks to investigate the matter, says it will spare no effort to determine how the money was spent. Committee Chairman Ndudi Elemelu told VOA the former president may be summoned to testify at a public hearing.
 
"Having spent one naira or one dollar, we have not been able to add even one megawatt to the existing one," Elemelu said. "Rather, we are losing the existing one, day-in, day-out. We have made it clear that everybody, irrespective of your position, that we will call whoever, when necessary, to come and give explanation as to how the money was expended⁸. He [Obasanjo] was in charge.  We will invite him, if necessary."
 
Critics of the Obasanjo administration are calling for a much broader corruption investigation⁹ of his government.
 
Reports that the administration spent more than $4 billion to rehabilitate¹⁰ roads have provoked widespread anger.  Nigerian roads are in deplorable condition.
 
Current President Umaru YarAdua has come under fire for ignoring growing demands for a probe of the Obasanjo administration.  Mr. YarAdua, Obasanjo's hand-picked successor, has virtually ruled out any large-scale investigation of his predecessor¹¹.
 
Power supply constraints¹² have undermined Nigeria's potential as a regional economic super power.  Nearly all of the country's 10 power stations are operating at less than 30 percent of capacity.

1 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。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

4 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。

5 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

6 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。

7 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

8 expended   

v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽

参考例句：

• She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。
• The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 rehabilitate   

vt.改造(罪犯)，修复；vi.复兴，(罪犯)经受改造

参考例句：

• There was no money to rehabilitate the tower.没有资金修复那座塔。
• He used exercise programmes to rehabilitate the patients.他采用体育锻炼疗法使患者恢复健康。

11 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

12 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓