2006年VOA标准英语-Tensions Grow in Nigeria Over Presidential

By Catherine Maddux
Washington
24 March 2006

 
Olusegun Obasanjo seen as he participates in National Population Census¹ at Abuja 
  
Earlier this month, a Nigerian constitutional review panel recommended allowing President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term.  If approved, the move would alter Nigeria's charter, which currently limits presidents to two four-year terms.  The possibility of extending the presidential term has experts warning of a return to Nigeria's undemocratic and authoritarian² past.

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Longtime Nigeria watcher John Paden, a professor at George Mason University, says the Nigerian constitution is very clear on the presidency³: two terms and you are out.

Speaking at a recent forum⁴ at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Paden said respect for the national charter is a hugely important issue for democracy in Nigeria and across the continent.

"Constitutions matter, because in oil states, or in former military rule states, this is one of the few checks on absolute power," said Mr. Paden.  "I think the term limits issue does come up within a global context, as well.  There have been a number of cases in Africa, where incumbents⁵ have just decided⁶ to rewrite, with a compliant⁷ national assembly, rewrite the constitution."

And that is what these analysts⁸ say appears to be happening in Nigeria, where proposed constitutional amendments¹⁰ would allow Mr. Obasanjo to run for a third term.  The amendments were approved by a special committee appointed by both houses of parliament, dominated by the ruling party.

The development has left Nigerian politicians, journalists and members of civil society feeling cheated, because, when Mr. Obasanjo won elections in 1999, after years of military dictatorships, hopes were high that democracy had finally arrived in Nigeria.

"The reactions in Nigeria have been, I think, extraordinarily¹¹, so far, civil, but strong," added Mr. Paden.  "The Catholic Bishops¹² have come out and said 'no third term,' the Arewa Consultative Forum has said they won't recognize [Mr.] Obasanjo after May of 2007. This is the major think tank for the northern elite¹³."

That group is a key constituency for the president, a southern ethnic¹⁴ Yoruba, who was backed by northern Muslim politicians with the understanding that executive power would eventually return to a northern candidate, the historic tradition in Nigeria.

Darren Kew, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, says that issue is a critical part of the drama that is unfolding around the term limits debate.

"There is the important question of the north and its disillusionment with [Mr.] Obasanjo, and its anger that the power shift towards them may not be respected, if a third term goes through," said Mr. Kew.

But Kew says it is unclear if Nigerians will rise up against Mr. Obasanjo and state governors, who stand to retain control of tens of billions of dollars in oil profits, and absolute power over the police and the military.

"As the president moves towards a third term, will the main forces in Nigerian politics move to assert constitutional limits?" he asked.  "Or to put it another way, will the big men and social forces, like civil society, perceive respect for the constitution as serving their interests enough to risk the wrath¹⁵ of the president?"

The speakers at the forum all expressed concern about the uncertainty¹⁶ ahead, fearing it might further inflame¹⁷ other political and economic issues already plaguing Nigeria. Those include ongoing¹⁸ sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians¹⁹, and increasing violence by minority ethnic militants²⁰ in the southern Niger Delta²¹ seeking a greater share of oil wealth from multi-national oil companies.

Howard University professor Olayiwola Abegunrin, says the third term question is especially disturbing because, in 1979, then-military ruler Obasanjo voluntarily handed over power.  He was the first leader to do so in Nigeria's history.  In 1999, he was elected president as a civilian²² candidate, and was seen as a transitional figure to lead Nigeria out of its dictatorial²³ past.

Abegunrin says Nigerians looked up to Mr. Obasanjo. But, he says, if the president pushes for another term, chaos²⁴ could erupt in Nigeria.

"If he succeeds, and [Mr.] Obasanjo takes a third term, Nigerian people will take to the streets," he said.  "He still has control of the military.  What is he going to do with them?  I don't know.  But if he takes a third term, Nigeria is not going to be the same."

Furthermore, if Mr. Obasanjo seeks another term, he risks the disapproval²⁵ of western nations, like the United States and Britain, which have held him up as a leading African statesman and a symbol of emerging democracies across the continent.   In fact, President Bush is scheduled to host Mr. Obasanjo for talks at the White House Wednesday.

A third term is not a certainty.  To become law, the constitutional amendment⁹ needs the approval of two-thirds of Nigeria's federal and state assemblies, both of which are dominated by the president's ruling People's Democratic Party.

Mr. Obasanjo himself has not said whether or not he would run for another term if the amendment goes through.

And, earlier this week, a group of senators began a move to impeach²⁶ Nigeria's deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, who heads the constitutional review committee that recommended the third term option.

1 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。

2 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 compliant   

adj.服从的，顺从的

参考例句：

• I don't respect people who are too compliant.我看不起那种唯命是从，唯唯诺诺的人。
• For years I had tried to be a compliant and dutiful wife.几年来，我努力做一名顺从和尽职尽职的妻子。

8 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。

9 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

10 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

11 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

12 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

13 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

14 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。

15 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

16 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

17 inflame   

v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎

参考例句：

• Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。
• Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。

18 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

19 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

20 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

21 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。

22 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

23 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

24 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

25 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

26 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。