2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Speaker Under Fire For Home Renovation

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
22 August 2007

Nigerian lawmakers, opposition¹ party pressing for an investigation² into how the parliamentary speaker spent nearly $5 million to renovate³ two official residences. From Abuja, Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA that the probe call is gaining support across party lines.

 

Nigerian opposition Action Congress has dismissed as outrageous⁴ reports that Patricia Etteh, speaker of the ruling People's Democratic Party, approved contracts worth $4.8 million to refurbish her house and her deputy's.

 

It was also reported she allegedly approved another $1.4 million for 12 official cars.

Umaru Yar'Adua (File)

Opposition party Action Congress said the spending was an example of hypocrisy⁵ in the new government of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who pledged to crack down on graft⁶ after his election to lead a country considered one of the world's most corrupt⁷.

Some lawmakers of the ruling People's Democratic Party, or PDP, are backing the investigation.

 

Among them is John Agoda, a ruling party lawmaker, who is pushing for the probe when the lower house of parliament resumes on September 4.

 

"I am going to wage a sensational⁸ national crusade that the house of a principal officer or the two houses of [Madam] speaker and her deputy will consume the taxpayers⁹ money to the tune¹⁰ of 628 million [naira] is highly unacceptable," he said. "If what we read in The Daily Trust [newspaper] on Sunday is correct, then there will be an earthquake."

 

Her supporters have rejected allegations of impropriety by awarding lucrative¹¹ contracts to friends for the refurbishings - a charge Dino Maleye, chairman of the house committee on information, insists is wrong.

 

"Madam speaker is not the accountant of the House of Representatives," said Maleye. "She is not the cashier of the national assembly. She is not in any way responsible for repairs of federal government houses. The houses in question is a federal government property, built by, and maintained by the FCDA [Federal Capital Development Agency]. So, there is no way Madam speaker could have been a beneficiary of this exercise."

 

The speaker, who has been reportedly in the United States celebrating her birthday, has also come under fire for leaving out opposition members from key positions in the parliament.

Nigeria earns about $30 billion from oil exports but poverty is endemic as officials routinely steal or squander¹² state resources.

1 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。

2 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。

3 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

4 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

5 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

6 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

9 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

10 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

11 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

12 squander   

v.浪费，挥霍

参考例句：

• Don't squander your time in reading those dime novels.不要把你的时间浪费在读那些胡编乱造的廉价小说上。
• Every chance is precious，so don't squander any chance away!每次机会都很宝贵，所以不要将任何一个白白放走。