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.
This was contained in a statement on Thursday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore.
According to Belgore, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Muslim faithful and Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on the occasion.
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“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 was quoted as saying.
According to Aregbesola, the government 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.”
The minister advised Nigerians to take responsibility by reporting any suspicious individuals and criminal activities to law enforcement agencies, especially during the festival.
He also enjoined Nigerians to observe all COVID-19 protocols, saying, “We must all take responsibility for containment of the pandemic during this year’s festival.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has warned against trips that characterise the period, especially in the light of the deadly COVID-19 Delta variant recorded in the country.