Foreign news

Xi Jinping urges officials and Party members to take responsibility in flood-triggered relief work

Published

5 years ago

August 21, 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged local governments and Party members to take responsibility in flood-triggered disaster prevention and relief work as large parts of China were reeling from the worst floods in decades.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

It is the third instruction from Xi on natural disaster control and prevention in less than three weeks.

Since the flood season began in June, a total of 433 rivers, as well as major lakes like Dongting, Poyang and Taihu, have risen beyond their warning levels, according to a release by the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) on July 13.

As many as 33 rivers have risen to their highest levels in history.

The MWR said the current trends remain grim on the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake basins, and the belt of heavy rain that has lashed central China would eventually head north.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said since June the average rainfall has broken its record since in 1961, and 141 people were dead or missing, with economic losses at around 60 billion yuan (8.57 billion U.S. dollars).

Xi said governments at all levels as well as Party members should be mobilized in fighting the floods and they should pull all out to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.

Xi emphasized that flood prevention and disaster relief are related to people’s safety and lives, food security, economic and social security and national security.

It’s very important to handle flood prevention and disaster relief work properly, Xi said, as China will build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and win the battle against poverty by the end of this year.

As northern China will enter its rainy season, Xi asked relevant departments and local governments to strengthen coordination in flood control.

During the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on May 19, Xi warned of potential damage and economic losses as the country was about to enter a flood season and asked relevant departments and local governments to overcome difficulties and race against time to repair reservoirs and store enough disaster supplies so as to protect people’s lives and property.

The meeting on Friday urged governments at all levels to put people’s lives and property first, and local authorities should carefully plan production resumption and help people get back to their normal lives as soon as possible.

(Cover: Evacuating flood-stranded people with a rubber boat in Jingdezhen City, east China’s Jiangxi Province, July 8, 2020. /Xinhua)

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Foreign news

NTAC Hails Tinubu; Volunteers Ready to Positively Impact Nigerians

Published

22 hours ago

June 4, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has commended President Bola Tinubu for funding the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Scheme.

The Director General (DG) of NTAC , Dr Yusuf Yakub, made the commendation during a ceremony to receive five returning TAC volunteers from Zanzibar, Tanzania on Tuesday in Abuja.
The returning volunteers also expressed readiness to impact knowledge gained from participating in the programme on Nigerians.

TAC is a mechanism for Nigeria’s foreign aid and technical assistance to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries through the use of Nigeria’s abundant trained manpower.

Yakub lauded Tinubu’s visionary leadership and steadfast support for the TAC Scheme.

Welcoming the volunteers who had discharged themselves as worthy ambassadors in Zanzibar, the D-G thanked them for their patriotism, dedication to service and for making Nigeria proud on the international arena.

The NTAC boss highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing, while announcing that certificates of completion will be presented to the volunteers in line with the noble objectives of the service.

He also emphasised the volunteers’ crucial role in passing on the skills and experiences gained in Zanzibar.

He expressed optimism that their efforts would positively impact the lives of Nigerians across the country and shape the expectations and service-delivery of future prospective volunteers.

Earlier speaking, Amb. Zakari Usman, the Director of Programmes for NTAC, expressed gratitude to the D-G for his unwavering support and provision for the volunteers throughout their service period.
He said that the volunteers had so delivered on the mandate of the agency that citizens of Zanzibar did not want them to leave their country.
Popoola Adegoke, the Team Lead and a Mathematics Instructor for the batch of returning volunteers, was full of gratitude to the Federal Government for providing them the opportunity to participate in the scheme.

Adegoke said that Nigeria, was well blessed and had the abundance of both human and natural resources to contribute meaningfully to the development of many countries of the world.

He said that the need to continue the TAC Scheme was not negotiable, owing to its high impact and results.

Mohammed Salisu, a Physicist, said that the experience had broadened his horizon as his orientation during the last 24 months in Zanzibar, especially on the cultural exchange.

He lauded the government for the scheme, saying that Nigeria is seen and perceived to be higher in all ranking, especially in the standard of living and educational system.

He also appealed to the government to sustain the scheme to close the gaps both the educational and professional systems in the African, Caribbean and the Pacific Countries.
NAN

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