美国国家公共电台 NPR--Tinubu has been declared the winner of Nigeria's presidential elections

Tinubu has been declared the winner of Nigeria's presidential elections

Transcript¹

Nigeria has a new president-elect after a rancorous and sometimes violent election cycle in Africa's largest democracy. Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to be sworn in this May.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Africa's largest democracy - in fact, Africa's most populous² country - has a new president in waiting.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Yeah, election officials declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling party the winner of Nigeria's presidential elections. It was a close election. It had delays, disorganization and sporadic³ violence at polling stations. And there are still questions. The opposition⁴ parties are demanding a revote and may go to court.

INSKEEP: NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu joins us from the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja. Welcome.

EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE⁵: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: What's it been like there the last few days?

AKINWOTU: You know, today, it's been a mixture of jubilation⁶ - his supporters - Bola Ahmed Tinubu's supporters are out in the streets celebrating - and also dismay and sadness with the result. There are protests currently in Abuja and elsewhere. And that's largely because of the polls and what unfolded on Saturday. I was out and going to speak to voters, going to polling stations, and quite frankly⁷, it was a shambles⁹ around the country. The electoral commission started late. Polls opened late in many polling stations around Nigeria, some hours late. Some actually haven't had voting now four days later. And there were also - there were so many logistical failures, and there were also incidents of violence that marred¹⁰ the vote in areas like where I was, in Lagos. I saw armed gunmen, masked, come and shoot towards us, steal a presidential ballot¹¹ box, a frightening scene. And incidents like that happened in pockets of the country, which has led to a lot of frustration¹² and led the opposition to call the elections a sham⁸.

INSKEEP: I want to underline a couple of things that you said because, of course, there are claims of election irregularities in the United States that have proven to have no basis. But you're telling me there were polling places that never opened and that you saw someone steal a box full of ballots¹³. Did you just tell me those two things?

AKINWOTU: Yes, absolutely. You know, on top of that, there have been some irregularities in the electoral commission's platform, some votes that are backed up by the wrong evidence. And so these are some of the issues that the opposition have kind of flagged and have called for the elections to be cancelled. Nonetheless, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now president of Nigeria.

INSKEEP: Who is he?

AKINWOTU: What a question. He's one of the most prominent, powerful politicians in Nigeria, you know, really a household name. But he's also divisive. He's a former two-term governor, and he's credited by his supporters for building Lagos to what it is, you know, one of the biggest economies in Africa. He's a kingmaker who helped bring President Buhari - outgoing President Buhari to power. This time, his slogan on the campaign trail was (speaking Yoruba). That's Yoruba for it's my turn. And now it is. But he's also derided¹⁴ by critics, actually, for overseeing decrepit¹⁵ infrastructure¹⁶ in Lagos, inequality, alleged¹⁷ control of state finances, of politics. And then, bizarrely, there are so many questions around him about his true age, his health and how he made his money. You know, he said he made millions working for Deloitte as an accountant. Then it turned out to be false. He's also had many allegations, including in the U.S., where he had to forfeit¹⁸ $460,000 to authorities linked to heroin¹⁹ trafficking. So a big, divisive, powerful figure and now the president.

INSKEEP: You said a mystery about his age. How old is he, according to him?

AKINWOTU: (Laughter) He's 70, but, you know, this is something that's being disputed. And he also has had health issues. But they have been quiet about it. He actually went on a treadmill²⁰ - recorded a video of him riding a bike at home to show that he is fit and hale and hearty²¹.

INSKEEP: NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR's correspondent in Abuja, Nigeria, hope you get out and get some exercise so you can keep up with the new president.

AKINWOTU: (Laughter) Thanks, Steve.

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 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

3 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

4 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。

5 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。

6 jubilation   

n.欢庆，喜悦

参考例句：

• The goal was greeted by jubilation from the home fans.主场球迷为进球欢呼。
• The whole city was a scene of jubilation.全市一片欢腾。

7 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

8 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

9 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

10 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

11 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

12 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

13 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

15 decrepit   

adj.衰老的，破旧的

参考例句：

• The film had been shot in a decrepit old police station.该影片是在一所破旧不堪的警察局里拍摄的。
• A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.一个衰弱的老人坐在公园的长凳上。

16 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。

17 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

18 forfeit   

vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物

参考例句：

• If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎，就会失掉大家对你的好感。
• Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。

19 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

20 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

21 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。