VOA标准英语2010年-Challenges Ahead for Nigeria's New Act

Goodluck Jonathan says his primary focus is driving down double-digit inflation, boosting electricity supplies, and getting the 2010 budget through parliament.

Scott Stearns | Abuja 15 February 2010

Nigeria's new acting¹ president and commander in chief Goodluck Jonathan is pictured as he takes office in Abuja, 10 Feb 2010

After more than two months of political uncertainty² over the absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua, Nigeria's new acting president Goodluck Jonathan takes power facing a host of economic and security issues.

Mr. Jonathan's most immediate³ impact has clearly been economic.

The acting president freed up more than $2 billion from Nigeria's excess crude oil account to help fund state governments. He says his primary focus is driving down double-digit inflation, boosting electricity supplies, and getting the 2010 budget through parliament.

"We see a need to prioritize on a few of the most critical areas which continue  to plague our efforts at engendering⁴ meaningful economic growth and development. Some of these critical sectors⁵ include power, infrastructure⁶, security, generation of employment, and business opportunities for our teeming⁷ young men and women," he said.

For Africa's top oil producer, focusing on the economy means ensuring the free flow of crude. Four years of sabotage⁸ and killing⁹ in the Niger Delta¹⁰ cut oil production by more than one-quarter. But that is now slowly returning to normal since thousands of fighters accepted President Yar'Adua's amnesty offer five months ago.

Opeyemi Agbaje is with the Lagos corporate¹¹ consulting group Resource and Trust Company.

 

"The amnesty in the Niger Delta, which has allowed oil production to begin to rise up again which has restored some peace in the region, is threatened. There is fear that that could unravel¹² if the situation is not quickly managed," said Agbaje.

Acting President Jonathan vows¹³ to consolidate¹⁴ the gains of the amnesty and is appealing for patience.  He says there will be no meaningful development without peace and security.

Some fighters who did not take part in that amnesty say they have broken the ceasefire and are again attacking oil pipelines¹⁵. But the main rebel group says it will cooperate with Mr. Jonathan if he agrees to their demands for local control of the region's vast energy resources.

Abdulwaheed Omar is President of Nigeria's National Labor¹⁶ Congress.

"It is our hope that he will focus attention on the Niger Delta issue with a view to fulfilling all the promises and agreements reached with the military representatives of the militants," he said.

Battling that rebellion and ultimately securing an amnesty consumed much of President Yar'Adua's first term. Former Information Minister Jerry Gana says Acting President Jonathan must move quickly to secure those gains so he can move on to other challenges.

"Without peace and security, there can not be development and progress in the nation, to ensure that criminals are detected and punished effectively with the issue of restoring fairness, justice, equity," he said.

Gana says the acting president has the power to end Nigeria's collective uncertainty.

"Political will should be demonstrated, decisive action should be taken and give the nation a new lease on life," Gana added.

Mr. Jonathan is moving ahead with preparations for presidential and legislative¹⁸ elections next year. Labor leader Omar says the acting president must make changes before that vote.

"The acting president should ensure that the electoral reforms that every man and woman in Nigeria has canvassed¹⁹ for will see the light of day," he said.

President Yar'Adua's absence has meant delay outside Nigeria as well. The annual summit of the Economic Community of West African States was twice postponed²¹ because Mr. Yar'Adua was not present to fulfill¹⁷ his duties as chairman of the regional alliance.

With Mr. Jonathan at the helm, ECOWAS Commissioner²² for Political Affairs Mahamane Toure says that summit will go ahead on Tuesday.

"We are really pleased with the new development. We have been following with concern what has been happening in Nigeria because Nigeria is the chair of ECOWAS. So we are very pleased with the new development which allows Nigeria to take its full leadership," said Toure.

While his is a temporary appointment, the acting president has moved quickly to make clear that this is now his government to run. In his first day in office, Mr. Jonathan sacked the justice minister without notifying the ruling party.

"These are presidential powers. He has the power to move any of us," comments Information Minister Dora Akunyili

Nigeeria's new acting president and commander in chief Goodluck Jonathan is pictured as he takes office in Abuja, 10 Feb 2010

Mr. Jonathan's assumption of power has some northern leaders concerned that this southern acting president will disrupt the country's political balance by replacing a northern president when the country's informal power sharing arrangement allows the north another four-year term.

Senate President David Mark says Mr. Jonathan is only the acting president. No one has replaced President Yar'Adua.

"That is not the thing. We don't want people to spread that rumor²³. He remains²⁴ the president. But since he is not here, there is somebody who is officially designated to act for him. I know that this type of rumor gains ground easily," said Mark.

Mr. Jonathan says he wants to avoid further division and hopes the president recovers.

"In all this, there are no winners and no losers because, by the grace of God, we have once again succeeded in moving our country forward. We have all shown that our unity²⁰ as a people, our love for this country, and our hope for its great future can not be shaken," said the acting president.  "It is now time for us to move on in a more determined²⁵ manner to tackle the various challenges which we face as a nation," he urged.

Anything Mr. Jonathan does may be open to legal challenge. Nigeria's constitution specifies²⁶ that lawmakers may promote the vice²⁷ president to acting president based on written communication from the president.  But Mr. Jonathan's appointment was based on a radio interview in which President Yar'Adua confirmed he is in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment.

Former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, has brought suit asking the Federal High Court to issue an injunction invalidating Mr. Jonathan's appointment.

 

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 engendering   

v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Certain soluble extracts of B pertussis may prove to be effective without engendering serious side effects. 某些可溶性百日咳杆菌提取物，可证明用之有效，也不产生严重副作用。 来自辞典例句
• The engendering, classification, path and control of environmental pollution transference were discussed. 对环境污染转嫁的产生、分类、途径及其控制与防范进行了分析。 来自互联网

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

8 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 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。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

13 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

14 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

15 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

16 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

17 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

18 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。

19 canvassed   

v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的过去式和过去分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查

参考例句：

• He canvassed the papers, hunting for notices of jobs. 他仔细查阅报纸，寻找招工广告。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The stirring event was well canvassed. 那桩惊人的事情已经是满城风雨。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

20 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

21 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

22 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

23 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

24 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

25 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

26 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

27 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。