The Federal Government has declared Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th December 2022 and Monday, 2nd January 2023 as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day celebrations respectively.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by Dr Shuaib M.L. Belgore, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, on Thursday.
While felicitating with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, Aregbesola enjoined them to emulate Jesus Christ in deeds and follow his teachings, especially on faith, hope and love.
“We must imbibe the life of Jesus Christ in His practice and teachings on humility, service, compassion, patience, peace and righteousness, that His birth signifies. This will be the best way to portray Christ and celebrate his birth”, he noted.
The Minister who emphasized that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity urged Nigerians to make the best use of the festive period to pray for the total eradication of any vestige of insecurity in the country.
He also urged Nigerians to make the 2023 general elections a success by voting peacefully and avoiding anything capable of marring the exercise in any way.
Aregbesola assured that the government had put in place effective measures for the security of lives and property, adding the FG expects Nigerians to support the efforts of security agencies by providing useful information that will assist them in the performance of their duties.
The Minister urges Nigerians to be security conscious, asking them to report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest security agency and through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS.
