The Federal Government has declared three days — including Monday, 26th December — as public holdays for the Christmas and New Year Day celebrations. The other days are Tuesday, 27th December and Monday, 2nd January 2023.
Expectations were high that another day would be announced as holiday for Christmas since 26th December is generally observed as work-free day.
In a statement by its Permanent Secretary, Mr Belgore Shuaib, the Ministry of Interior said that the Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola asked Christians to emulate the doctrines of Jesus, noting that “we must imbibe the life of Jesus Christ in His practice and teachings on humility, service, compassion, patience, peace and righteousness”.
He called on Christians to use the festive period to pray for the total eradication of the insecurity bedevilling Nigeria.
He said that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity.
Aregbesola asked Nigerians not to be swayed by “criminal elements” who intend “to create anarchy in the country.
“Moderately celebrate the festival, avoid the spread of fake news and be responsible,” he further said.
The Minister said the Federal Government has put in place measures to secure lives and property while he encouraged Nigerians to support security agencies by providing useful information.
He urged Nigerians to be security conscious and advised them to report suspicious activities through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS.
