By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Monday, December 26, Tuesday, December 27, 2022, and Monday, January 2, 2023, have been declared as public holidays by the federal government to celebrate Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year.
A statement issued on Friday to announce the holidays quoted the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, as urging Nigerians, especially Christians, to emulate the doctrines of Christ in faith, hope and love.
The Minister, who felicitated with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, stated 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 were two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity, appealing to Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedevilling our dear nation.
Mr Aregbesola charged Nigerians not to be lulled into insensitive crisis by criminally minded elements that want to create anarchy in the country.
“This calls for deliberate responsibility and discipline on the part of all,” the Minister stressed.
He 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 a prompt response from security agents.”
Speaking further, the Minister said this Yuletide calls for spartan discipline in order to protect the lives and properties of everyone in the 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 fatherland,” Aregbesola advised.
