美国国家公共电台 NPR--Peter Obi could shake up Nigeria's election

Peter Obi could shake up Nigeria's election

Transcript¹

As voters in Nigeria, Africa's largest democracy, go to the polls, a third party candidate threatens to upset the status quo.

Producer Tom Saater contributed to this story.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Voters in Africa's largest democracy, Nigeria, go to the polls tomorrow in one of the most unpredictable elections in recent memory. What usually boils down to a race between two main presidential hopefuls has been turned on its head by a third candidate, who has galvanized young people. And in an election where the largest percentage of registered voters are under 35, the unexpected campaign of Peter Obi could be pivotal. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reports from Lagos.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE²: Meet the Obi-dients (ph). These are the supporters of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate whose campaign threatens to upend the status quo of Nigerian politics. Today, they are out campaigning, and groups of them set off through the grounds of a sprawling³ lower-class estate in Obalende in Lagos. They wheel a small speaker, blasting some of the many songs made about him.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).

AKINWOTU: A small burst of joy and energy to keep marching on through the heat. Twenty-six-year-old Miriam Ikechukwu is campaigning for the first time.

MIRIAM IKECHUKWU: I know a lot of young people who have never voted. And they've gone out to register - even older people who have never bothered to vote.

AKINWOTU: And she's right. People like her are more galvanized. More people registered to vote than ever before. It's unclear exactly how much that has to do with Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and now a presidential candidate of the relatively⁴ small Labor⁵ Party. But his campaign has been electrified⁶ by a wider grassroots movement that has burst onto the political scene.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Sorry, we never give shishi.

AKINWOTU: No shishi means no money - because Nigerian political campaigns are usually awash with cash and gifts. But they say what they're really offering is change. Obi is a center-right candidate with support from a curious coalition⁷ of different groups, including left-wing workers unions, first-time voters and older people, often middle class, who say their children's futures⁸ are on the line.

Is this the first time you're working in a political campaign?

TITI OWORU: Yes. And I'm knackered.

AKINWOTU: Fifty-two-year-old Titi Oworu said she had to come out. She was tired of criticizing politicians but not doing something about it.

OWORU: I felt it's not enough to just stay at home. So I just thought, OK, if for nothing, because of my son and his - my grandchildren. So I need that to be on record that Grandma got up, and I was part of the change for Nigeria.

AKINWOTU: Several polls have predicted Obi will win, but he's not necessarily the front-runner.

(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHEERING)

AKINWOTU: Thousands of people fill a stadium in Lagos at the final rally for 70-year-old Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Both he and 76-year-old former Vice⁹ President Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party are the two established front-runners and have been dominant¹⁰ political figures for a generation.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: If you want a better tomorrow for Nigeria, vote Peter.

AKINWOTU: Back at the Obi campaign, Lorita, who would rather not give her second name, says, in a way, this election is about more than winning. It's about awakening¹¹.

LORITA: The opposition¹², they know. They know very well that something big is coming. And they know that we have - we've woken up. Even if he doesn't win, they will know that, OK, something actually hit them this time around.

AKINWOTU: Voter turnout was under 35% in 2019. This time, whatever the outcome, many are waiting to see if young Nigerians have woken up to become a more decisive political force shaping their future.

Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Lagos.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OBIDIENT ANTHEM")

RJAY: (Singing in non-English language).

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 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。

6 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

9 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。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

11 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。