2016年经济学人 尼日利亚政府 总算点卯了

尼日利亚政府 总算点卯了

Middle East and Africa Nigeria's government

中东非洲 尼日利亚政府

At work at last

总算点卯了

After sixmonths, Nigeria's president no longer leads alone

过了六个月，尼日利亚总统才总算结束了孤立无援的窘境。

THE law was laid down for Nigeria's ministers when they were sworn into office last week. No corruption¹, their austere² president, Muhammadu Buhari, told them. Obey the law and work together, because expectations are high. Behave in keeping with the times. Refrain from gaudy³ displays of wealth (“Not that some of us have much to display,” one appointee laments). It has taken almost six months for the former dictator, now elected, to install his cabinet, but for those who made the cut his message is simple: winning high office is no longer a license⁴ to rob the public purse. Unlike many of their predecessors⁵, the new ministers must prioritize reform.

当尼日利亚新一届政府部长们于上周宣誓就职的时候，一项针对他们的清规戒律也开始生效。禁止贪污，以严厉著称的总统穆罕默德·布哈里如此告诫他们。民众对这届政府抱有很高的期望，因此他们必须遵纪守法、众志成城。行为举止要与时俱进。抑制铺张显摆之风（“并不是说我们有很多财产可以显摆”一位被任命的部长面露难色地说道）。这位前独裁者重新当选后已经花了接近六个月的时间才完成内阁的组建。但是对那些成功进入内阁的人来说，布哈里想传递的讯息很简单：身居要职不再是高官肆意鱼肉百姓的免死金牌。与他们的诸位前任不同的是，新一届的部长们必须把改革放在首位。

Many observers are optimistic that they can do so. Mr Buhari's cabinet is smaller than that of the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, with 25 principal ministers and 12 junior ones. Several of his senior appointees have good track records. Babatunde Fashola, the respected former governor of Lagos state, has been handed a monumental portfolio⁶ combining power, public works and housing. Another ex-governor, Kayode Fayemi (pictured, left, with the president), is charged with developing mining operations as Nigeria rushes to broaden its economy away from oil. Fans of a third seasoned politician, Rotimi Amaechi, who won the transport post, say he has delivered roads despite accusations⁷ of corruption, which he denies.

许多观察家对此持乐观态度。布哈里总统的内阁由25位首席部长和12位初级部长组成，比他的前任古德拉克·乔纳森总统的内阁要小一些。而且有数位首席部长拥有良好的履历记录。备受尊敬的前拉各斯州州长巴巴图内德·法肖拉（Babatunde Fashola）被任命为电力、工程和住房部长，这可是一个肥差。另一位前州长，卡耶德·法耶米（Kayode Fayemi）（合照中站在总统左侧这位）奉命发展采矿业，因为现下的尼日利亚亟需拓宽经济发展的路子，使其不过度依赖于石油产业。作为政治资历排第三的老练政治家，罗蒂米·阿玛奇赢得了交通部长的宝座，他的支持者认为尽管面临贪污的指控（他本人矢口否认），但他还是确保了多条公路的顺利完工。

Yet the president has failed to please all as he juggles⁸ the demands of his party and people. His decision to keep the oil post for himself, while appointing the Nigerian National Petroleum⁹ Corporation's new head as his deputy, was designed to keep the valuable resource in hands he can trust. But it raises concerns over the centralization of power. Ethnic¹⁰ groups of the southeast who mostly voted for Mr Jonathan in this year's election are feeling neglected. Critics also fret¹¹ over an absence of desperately¹² needed financial expertise¹³.

但是，当布哈里总统将自己的政党和选民的需求玩弄于鼓掌之中的时候，他势必难以取悦所有人。他决定由自己兼任石油部长，并任命尼日利亚国家石油公司的新任总裁为他的副手，其目的是为了把有价值的资源掌握在他的亲信手中。这种任人唯亲的做法引起了人们对中央集权的担忧。东南部的大部分部族在今年的选举中站在了乔纳森一边，他们感到自己的利益被忽视。评论家们也为布哈里未能任命一位亟需的懂业务的财政部长而感到深深的忧虑。

Africa's biggest economy, which relies on oil for 70% of its revenue, is sputtering¹⁴ as prices fall. Economic policy has been adrift since Mr Buhari came to power, and investors¹⁵ complain about the central bank's use of trade controls and import restrictions¹⁶. However, the new finance minister, an accountant who cleaned up the books of one of Nigeria's smaller states, is poorly qualified¹⁷ for the job. Her counterpart in the investment ministry¹⁸ is a respected businessman, but he may lack the clout¹⁹ to stand up to a president with statist leanings. “It's a government with local professionals and without superstars,” says Shehu Sani, a senator of the ruling party.

尼日利亚是非洲最大的经济体，但它的财政收入有七成来自石油产业，随着油价的下行，该国的经济也后继乏力。上台以来，布哈里至今尚未敲定他的经济政策，投资者们则对央行采取的贸易控制和进口限制政策怨声载道。但是，新任财政部长（曾在尼日利亚某个较小的州政府从事财政工作）的资历远远不能胜任这份工作。她在投资部的同僚倒是一位受人尊敬的商人，但是他的影响力也许还不足以对抗这位秉承中央集权论的总统。“这届政府有的只是一些地方上的专业人士，没有什么有影响力的政坛超级巨星，”执政党的参议院施胡·萨尼说道。

Still, Nigerians find much to be happy about. Boko Haram, an insurgent²⁰ Islamist group, has been weakened during Mr Buhari's half-year at the helm (though bombs this week killed 43 people), and power supplies are somewhat more reliable. A bigger budget has been outlined for 2016, though it is unclear how it will be financed, and recurrent spending will be pared back. More heartening is the president's crusade against corruption.

不过，尼日利亚人民还有许多值得高兴的事情。布哈里执掌国家权力半年来，他已经成功地削弱了博科圣地（一个伊斯兰叛乱组织）（尽管该组织本周又炸死了43个人），而且国内的电力供应稍微可靠了点。布哈里已经为2016年勾勒了一个更大的预算（尽管目前还不清楚钱从哪来），而且周期性的开支将得到削减。总统的反贪污运动更加鼓舞人心。

Staff have been fired from the state oil company and customs department. Officials are tackling smuggling²¹ along leaky borders. To reduce fraud, an opaque²² network of government bank accounts has been replaced by a centralized system. Several politicians, including the president of

the Senate, a former oil minister and an ex-national security adviser²³, are under investigation²⁴. Meanwhile, biometric registration²⁵ at banks should expose more money laundered²⁶ by civil servants and their stooges. High-rollers are on their best behavior. Lamudi, a property company, reports a slowdown in expensive sales, partly explained by the fact that the rich would rather not be seen splurging.

一些有问题的雇员已经被国家石油公司和海关部门扫地出门。公务员们沿着漏洞百出的边境线上打击走私。为了减少欺诈案件，原来不透明的政府银行账户网络已经被一套集中式的系统所取代。多位政客正在接受调查，包括参议院主席、一位前石油部长、以及一位前国家安全顾问。同时，通过在银行系统推行生物统计登记，使公务员及其傀儡的洗钱行为无处藏匿。挥金如土的豪绅们不得不夹着尾巴过日子。Lamudi（一家产权公司）报告称其奢侈消费增长出现放缓的态势，一定程度上是因为富人们宁可不被人看到他们大肆挥霍。

1 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。

2 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

3 gaudy   

adj.华而不实的；俗丽的

参考例句：

• She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
• The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

7 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

8 juggles   

v.歪曲( juggle的第三人称单数 )；耍弄；有效地组织；尽力同时应付（两个或两个以上的重要工作或活动）

参考例句：

• They brought back to my mind, in a flash, the three juggles. 他们顿时使我回想起那三个变戏法的。 来自辞典例句
• Our juggles are essentially built from relationships ─with our partners alz, coworkers and friends. 我们的事业和家庭实际上都是建立于各种关系之上的──与伴侣、孩子、同事和朋友的关系。 来自互联网

9 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

12 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

13 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

14 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

15 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

16 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

17 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

18 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

19 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

20 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

21 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

22 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

23 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

24 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。

25 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

26 laundered   

v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的过去式和过去分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Send these sheets to be laundered. 把这些床单送去洗熨。 来自辞典例句
• The air seems freshly laundered. Sydney thinks of good drying weather. 空气似乎被清洗过，让悉妮想起晴朗干爽适合晒衣服的好天气。 来自互联网