Tuesday, July 20 and Wednesday July 21, 2021 have been declared as public holidays by the federal government to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni 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 celebration.
“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, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, assured the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is “committed to the security of lives and property of every Nigerian, and 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” .
He advised Nigerians to report suspicious individuals and criminal activities to law enforcement agencies, especially during this festival.
He reiterated the call for the observance Covid-19 protocols, especially the non-pharmaceutical measures, like wearing facemasks, washing hands, and social distancing – designed to keep transmission of the disease at bay.