Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Tuesday, July 20 and Wednesday, July 21, 2021, have been declared by the federal government as public holidays for Eid-el-Kabir observed by Muslims.
A statement issued on Thursday, July 15, 2021, by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaib Belgore, said the festival should be celebrated in observance of all COVID-19 protocols, particularly the non-pharmaceutical measures of wearing facemasks, hand washing and social distancing, which were designed to keep the transmission of the disease at bay.
The statement also quoted the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, as advising all Nigerians to take responsibility by reporting any suspicious individuals and criminal activities to law enforcement agencies, especially during this period.
He assured that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will do everything within the law to protect the lives and property of every Nigerian.
“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,” the Minister said while congratulating all Muslim faithful and Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on this occasion.
He expressed optimism that the issues “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,” would be tackled by the government.
According to him, Mr Buhari is “committed to the security of lives and property of every Nigerian, 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.”
The Minister sympathised with the families of school children who have been kidnapped or suffered one misfortune or another, saying, “Our hearts and prayers of comfort are with you.”
