The Federal Government has declared Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th December 2022 and Monday, 2nd January 2023 as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day celebrations respectively.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore disclosed this in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja.

He said the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, felicitates with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The statement urged Christians to emulate the doctrines of Christ in faith, hope and love.

“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 noted.

Aregbesola emphasized that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity, urging Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedevilling our dear nation.

He also charged Nigerians not to be lulled into insensitive crisis by criminally minded elements that wants to create anarchy in the country. “This calls for deliberate responsibility and discipline on the part of all”, the Minister stressed.

Aregbesola 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”.

According to him, the Yuletide calls for spartan discipline in order to protect lives and properties of everyone in our community and the nation as a whole.

“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 counselled.

The Minister 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 expresses confidence that the year 2023 would be a better year for us all.

He wished all Christians in particular a happy Christmas and all Nigerians a peaceful and prosperous New Year celebration.