The Federal Government has declared Monday, December 26 and Tuesday, December 27, 2022 as public holidays to mark this year’s Christmas celebrations.
The Federal Government also declared Monday, January 2, 2023 as public holiday to mark the New Year celebration.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, while making the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, felicitated with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Ogbeni Aregbesola enjoined Christians to emulate the doctrines of Jesus Christ in faith, hope and love, noting that, “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.”
He emphasised that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity. He urged Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedevilling our dear nation.
Aregbesola strongly charged Nigerians not to be lulled into insensitive crisis by criminally minded elements that want to create anarchy in the country, stressing that “This calls for deliberate responsibility and discipline on the part of all.”
The Minister 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, saying “when you see something do N-Alert, as this would elicit prompt response from security agents.”
Speaking further, Aregbesola said this Yuletide called for spartan discipline in order to protect lives and properties of everyone in our community and the nation as a whole.
Aregbesola advised Christians and Nigerians at large to “Moderately celebrate the festival avoid the spread of fake news and be responsible. Take it as a point of duty you own your father land.”
He also assured that the government has 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 admonished all citizens to remain focused and expressed confidence that the year 2023 would be a better year for all.
He wished all Christians in particular a happy Christmas and Nigerians at large a peaceful and prosperous New Year celebration.
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