The Federal Government has declared December 26 and 27, 2022, as public holidays to mark Christmas and Boxing Day.
Also Monday, January 2, 2023, has been declared a holiday to mark New Year’s Day celebration.
This was annouced by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday.
Aregbesola who spoke through the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, urged Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedeviling the country.
The minister enjoined Christians to emulate the doctrines of Christ in faith, hope, and love.
He said “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”.
“Peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity. We urge Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedeviling our dear nation.
“We strongly charge Nigerians not to be lured into insensitive crisis by criminally minded elements that wants to create anarchy in the country. ”
The minister also urged Nigerians to be security conscious, asking them to report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest security agency through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS.
The minister also assured that the government had put in place effective measures for the security of lives and property and expects Nigerians to support the efforts of security agencies by providing useful information that will assist them in the performance of their duties.
Aregbesola admonishes all citizens to remain focused and expresses confidence that the year 2023 would be a better year for us all.