2007年VOA标准英语-Analysts Back Nigerian Government's Suspension

By Kari Barber
Dakar
26 August 2007

Analysts¹ in Nigeria are applauding the government for halting a plan by the Central Bank to change the nation's currency, the naira. On Saturday, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said the Central Bank's governor had no right to announce the change without the president's prior approval. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar that some say the government's move to scrap² the plan may be a sign it is more committed to due process of law.

President Umaru Yar'Adua (file photo)

In mid-August, Central Bank Governor Chukwuma Soludo announced the plan, which involved dropping two zeroes off the Nigerian currency. The governor said the change would make it easier to manage inflation and would alleviate³ the burden on consumers who have to carry large bundles of naira bills just to buy daily staples⁴.

On Saturday, Nigeria's president, in a statement, confirmed that the re-denomination plan is being scrapped⁵. Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa first announced the government's decision on Friday, saying President Yar'Adua had not approved it.

Lagos-based economist⁶ Ayo Teriba says the Central Bank did not allow sufficient public discussion before announcing its decision earlier this month. Teriba says the Central Bank acted rashly, making Nigeria appear unstable⁷.

"The Central Bank's announcement created the impression that Nigeria was unable to control its own Central Bank. So the President's order has eliminated that impression," said Teriba.

Critics of the currency change say it is a waste of resources since the government recently spent millions of dollars printing new naira that would have become obsolete⁸.

Social activist⁹ Otive Igbuzor of Action Aid Nigeria says he sees the plan as costly¹⁰, with few benefits.

"The re-denomination is not going to put more food on the table, it is not going to increase production. It is not going to decrease poverty," said Otive Igbuzor.

Igbuzor says Mr. Yar'Adua's move to reign¹¹ in the bank could mean the country is moving toward an era of more transparent¹² leadership and law-abiding behavior.

"I think what this will do is, it will make the bank be more conscious of what it does and follow due process which is good for the system, it is good for the institution," added Igbuzor.

Central Bank officials have said the plan, which was to take effect next August, would enhance confidence in the currency, help control inflation, and make exchange with other currencies easier. They say they did consult with Mr. Yar'Adua before announcing the new policy. But Minister of Justice Aondoakaa says the Central Bank, by law, has to get approval in writing from the president before changes are made.

Nigeria has one of the largest economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Much of its revenue comes from its oil industry in the violence-plagued Niger Delta¹³.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

3 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

4 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

5 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

8 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

12 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

13 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。