After sixmonths, Nigeria's president no longer leadsalone
過了六個月,尼日利亞總統才總算結束了孤立無援的窘境。
THE law was laid down for Nigeria's ministers when they were sworn into office last week. Nocorruption, their austere president, Muhammadu Buhari, told them. Obey the law and worktogether, because expectations are high. Behave in keeping with the times. Refrain from gaudydisplays of wealth (“Not that some of us have much to display,” one appointee laments). It hastaken almost six months for the former dictator, now elected, to install his cabinet, but forthose who made the cut his message is simple: winning high office is no longer a license to robthe public purse. Unlike many of their predecessors, the new ministers must prioritize reform.
Many observers are optimistic that they can do so. Mr Buhari's cabinet is smaller than that ofthe previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, with 25 principal ministers and 12 junior ones.Several of his senior appointees have good track records. Babatunde Fashola, the respectedformer governor of Lagos state, has been handed a monumental portfolio combining power,public works and housing. Another ex-governor, Kayode Fayemi (pictured, left, with thepresident), is charged with developing mining operations as Nigeria rushes to broaden itseconomy away from oil. Fans of a third seasoned politician, Rotimi Amaechi, who won thetransport post, say he has delivered roads despite accusations of corruption, which hedenies.
Yet the president has failed to please all as he juggles the demands of his party and people. Hisdecision to keep the oil post for himself, while appointing the Nigerian National PetroleumCorporation's new head as his deputy, was designed to keep the valuable resource in handshe can trust. But it raises concerns over the centralization of power. Ethnic groups of thesoutheast who mostly voted for Mr Jonathan in this year's election are feeling neglected. Criticsalso fret over an absence of desperately needed financial expertise.
Africa's biggest economy, which relies on oil for 70% of its revenue, is sputtering as prices fall.Economic policy has been adrift since Mr Buhari came to power, and investors complain aboutthe central bank's use of trade controls and import restrictions. However, the new financeminister, an accountant who cleaned up the books of one of Nigeria's smaller states, is poorlyqualified for the job. Her counterpart in the investment ministry is a respected businessman,but he may lack the clout to stand up to a president with statist leanings. “It's a governmentwith local professionals and without superstars,” says Shehu Sani, a senator of the rulingparty.
Still, Nigerians find much to be happy about. Boko Haram, an insurgent Islamist group, hasbeen weakened during Mr Buhari's half-year at the helm (though bombs this week killed 43people), and power supplies are somewhat more reliable. A bigger budget has been outlinedfor 2016, though it is unclear how it will be financed, and recurrent spending will be paredback. More heartening is the president's crusade against corruption.
Staff have been fired from the state oil company and customs department. Officials are tacklingsmuggling along leaky borders. To reduce fraud, an opaque network of government bankaccounts has been replaced by a centralized system. Several politicians, including the presidentof
the Senate, a former oil minister and an ex-national security adviser, are under investigation.Meanwhile, biometric registration at banks should expose more money laundered by civilservants and their stooges. High-rollers are on their best behavior. Lamudi, a propertycompany, reports a slowdown in expensive sales, partly explained by the fact that the richwould rather not be seen splurging.
例句:It will remain as a pressure group, but nolonger has any pretension to be a political party.
它仍然是一個壓力集團,但不再自稱是一個政黨。
2.charge with 控告
例句:Party A shall assign a person in charge of itsown specific legal affairs and such a person so assigned shall maintain close ties with theattorney employed by Party B.
方應指定專人承擔本單位具體的法律事務性工作并與乙方律師經常聯系。
3.fail to 未能
例句:The various elements of the novel fail to cohere.
這部小說的各部分之間缺乏連貫性。
4.design to 設計
例句:The intelligence service conceived a grand design to assassinate the War Minister.