The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Monday July 11 and Tuesday, July 12 as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir holiday
The occasion is meant to promote peace, love and kindness as it commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God’s command.
Making the announcement on behalf of the government on Thursday, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola congratulated all Muslims and Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The Minister also admonished Nigerians to be security-conscious and as well ensure they report any suspicious individuals and criminal activities they observed around them to law enforcement agencies.
Aregbesola encouraged Nigerians to take advantage of the N-Alerts application that has been designed to mitigate security challenges with a prompt response from security agencies: as soon as you “See Something Do N-Alerts”, most especially during this festival.
“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” Aregbesola stated in a communique.
The Minister assured Nigerians that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is “committed to the security of lives and properties of all Nigerians, empowering the citizens for successful living, the provisions of social investments programmes and adequate security in the schools”.
He reiterated: “We must all take responsibility for the security of lives and property as we celebrate this year’s festival.”
Aregbesola craved the indulgence of every Nigerians “to come together, put heads, hearts and all we have together, in order to achieve relative peace for harmonious coexistence and put an end to insecurities in Nigeria”.