The Federal Government has declared Monday, 3rd October as a public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence Anniversary Celebration.
The last national holiday in Nigeria was Eid-el-Kabir on 11th and 12 July, while the next one after that of the Independence Day is due Eid-el-Maulud on 10th October.
In announcing the Independence Day holiday on Wednesday, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola congratulated all Nigerians on the celebration and assured of the government’s commitment to tackling all the challenges facing the nation and bringing smiles to their faces.
“The world is going through dire economic and security challenges which have also affected our nation. However, I am assuring us all that the government will not abandon the people, but will continue to confront all these challenges with all the might at our disposal until respite comes our way”, the Minister said.
A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore on the Minister’s behalf noted the eminent position of Nigeria in the comity of nations.
He said that “greatness is ahead of the country if we work hard at it as a people”.
“Our warmth, welcoming spirit and love as well as our unbounded human capital and the richness of our land, make Nigeria unarguably the leading black nation in the world and Africa’s pride and beacon of hope. If we can rally ourselves together to harness our potential, we shall be the greatest nation on the earth.
“A country of over 200 million people whose natural talents, grit and passion glitter like the precious diamond that we are; Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in the academia, science and technology, business, innovation, music, entertainment, fashion or culture”, Aregbesola said.
