TheCable

The federal government has declared October 10 as a public holiday to mark the Eid-ul-Mawlid celebration.

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, announced this on Thursday in a statement by Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary of the ministry.

The Eid-ul-Mawlid celebration is in commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Aregbesola congratulated all Muslims in the country and in the diaspora for witnessing this year’s occasion.

He enjoined Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, patience, tolerance and perseverance, adding that they are deep spiritual virtues which the Holy Prophet Muhammad exemplified.

The minister further urged Nigerians, particularly Muslims, to refrain from violence, lawlessness, and other acts of criminality.

“As the indisputable leader of our race, we must demonstrate responsible leadership in Africa”, he said.

He advised Nigerians to discourage divisive tendencies across the country, and embrace the virtues of hard work and peaceful disposition to fellow humans, irrespective of their differences.

Aregbesola also urged people to support the President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration’s efforts to build a progressive and enviable nation that all citizens would be proud of.

He further enjoined Nigerians to be security conscious, asking them to report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest security agency and through the N-Alert application, saying “when you see something, do N-Alert, as this would elicit prompt response from security agents”.