TheCable

The federal government has declared July 11 and July 12 as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, announced the development in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement issued by Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary, ministry of interior, Aregbesola urged the Muslim faithful to continue to promote peace and also pray for the country.

“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” Aregbesola was quoted as saying.

He also said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari remains committed to ensuring that lives and properties of all Nigerians are secure, adding that the government will also continue to provide opportunities for “empowering the citizens for successful living”.

Aregbesola also urged Nigerians to “take responsibility by reporting any suspicious individuals and criminal activities they observed around them to law enforcement agencies with the use of N-Alerts application that has been designed to mitigate security challenges with prompt response from security agencies”.

“We must all take responsibility for the security of lives and property as we celebrate this year’s festival,” he added.