The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 21, 2021, as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration in a statement on Thursday.
In the statement Dr. Shuaib Belgore, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, signed on his behalf, Aregbesola congratulated all Muslim faithful and Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on the occasion.
“I call on Muslims to continue to imbibe the spirit of love, peace, kindness and sacrifice, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and to also use the period to pray for peace, unity, prosperity and the stability of the country, considering the challenges of insecurity we face at the moment.
“These mainly are bandits in the North West and North Central, insurgents in the North East, kidnappers, armed robbers, ethnic agitators and sundry criminals in other parts of the country,” Aregbesola said.
The Minister assured that the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is “committed to the security of lives and property of every Nigerian, empowering the citizens for successful living, the provisions of social investments programmes and adequate security in the schools, especially with the spate of innocent school children being targets of kidnapping.”
Aregbesola advised all Nigerians to take responsibility by reporting any suspicious individuals and criminal activities to law enforcement agencies, especially during this festival.
He also enjoined all Nigerians to observe all COVID-19 protocols, particularly the non-pharmaceutical measures – wearing facemasks, hand washing and social distancing – designed to keep transmission of the disease at bay.
“We must all take responsibility for containment of the pandemic during this year’s festival,” he said.
