2006年VOA标准英语-Nigeria Census Off to Slow Start

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
21 March 2006

Nigeria's long-delayed head count has started rather sluggishly¹.  Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA that logistical problems could be a major challenge to what authorities are hoping will be the most credible² census³ in Nigeria.

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Olusegun Obasanjo seen as he participates in National Population Census at Abuja 
  

President Olusegun Obasanjo, in a televised address, urged his countrymen not to see the poll as a contest for political supremacy⁴.
 
He said far-reaching steps had been taken to enhance the credibility of the exercise.

"For the first time in the conduct of census in Nigeria, the 2006 census has employed such technology as the use of geographic⁵ positioning system, GPS, and satellite imageries," he said.  "Consequently, for the first time, it will be possible to verify the extent of buildings and persons as enumerated⁶ during the census."

Hours into the exercise however, it became obvious that logistical challenges inherent in a vast, chaotic⁷ and impoverished⁸ country could be a major drawback.
 
My attempts to track down census field workers yielded no result, two hours into the exercise. 

I drove to the Abuja office of the National Population Commission, where a large crowd of census officials were engaged in a heated argument with their director.
 
One of the agitated⁹ workers, Peter Ali, explained his predicament to VOA.
 
"After the training, we [were] supposed to have been paid for the training.  Up till now, at least 75 percent of us have not been paid," he noted¹⁰.  "Many of us have not been posted to our E.A.s [enumeration¹¹ areas] where we are supposed to work.  We are supposed to have arrived at our E.A.s three days before today.  We are supposed to be here 18th and today is 21st when the real enumeration has to take place.  Up to today, as I am talking to you now, I do not even know where I am working."
 

National Population Commission official takes count in Lagos, March 21, 2006   
  
Census director Abu Noah dismissed the protesters as gate crashers.  He said though they were trained, they were not signed up as field workers.
 
"I got in touch with my controller and he had actually briefed me," he said.  " And he said most of the people that are here, they were gate crashers at the initial stage of the training and at the end of the training, only a few of the gate crashers sailed through."
 
Asked to comment on the fact that most of the protesting field workers had identification cards issued by the commission, Mr. Noah could not provide a tangible¹² response.
 
Independent census monitors have equally acknowledged that it had been a very difficult first day for the census in the capital city.  Olu Wilson of the non-governmental organization, Life International Foundation, summed up her impressions.

"Things need to be cleaned up properly," she said.  "Right now there is a lot of pandemonium¹³ going on, misinformation and those who have done things, they have not been given appropriate materials to work with and without that material and those people cannot go and do the counting.  Those who have received their IDs have not been posted.  So, all those things need to be looked into and make sure that at least by tomorrow, they would have gone into the act of doing the proper counting."
 
A clearer picture of day one of the census would emerge by the end of the day.  Analysts¹⁴ say the authorities will have to work much faster and harder if they hope to achieve the credible census Nigerians have been yearning¹⁵ for.
 
Several previous censuses¹⁶ have ended in fiasco, after disputes among the main ethnic¹⁷ groups.
 
Concerns have been expressed that the credibility of the current census may be compromised by heightened political tension before elections next year.

1 sluggishly   

adv.懒惰地；缓慢地

参考例句：

• The river is silted up and the water flows sluggishly. 河道淤塞，水流迟滞。
• Loaded with 870 gallons of gasoline and 40 gallons of oil, the ship moved sluggishly. 飞机载着八百七十加仑汽油和四十加仑机油，缓慢地前进了。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

4 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

5 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 enumerated   

v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. 发言人列数罢工者的要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enumerated the capitals of the 50 states. 他列举了50个州的首府。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 enumeration   

n.计数，列举；细目；详表；点查

参考例句：

• Predictive Categoriesinclude six categories of prediction, namely Enumeration, Advance Labeling, Reporting,Recapitulation, Hypotheticality, and Question. 其中预设种类又包括列举(Enumeration)、提前标示(Advance Labeling)、转述(Reporting)、回顾(Recapitulation)、假设(Hypotheticality)和提问(Question)。 来自互联网
• Here we describe a systematic procedure which is basically "enumeration" in nature. 这里介绍一个本质上是属于“枚举法”的系统程序。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

14 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。

15 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

16 censuses   

人口普查，统计( census的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Data derived from population censuses is useful for social researchers. 从人口普查中得到的数据对社会研究者们很有用处。
• UNFPA also helps countries compile reliable demographic data and carry out censuses. 人口基金还帮助各国汇编可靠的人口数据及开展人口普查。

17 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。