TheCable

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says the Islamic new year, also known as Hijrah, will be observed as a public holiday in the state.

The governor disclosed this on Wednesday in a statement by Taiwo Adisa, his chief press secretary, during the celebration of the 2021 Mawlud Nabiyy, held at the remembrance arcade of the government house in Agodi, Ibadan.

Makinde said he had discussed with his special adviser on economy, and the director-general of Oyo state Investment and Public, Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPPA) on the need for the holiday.

He, however, noted that the matter could not be concluded at the end of his first year in office, but since the matter was raised again, he would declare the holiday from 2022.

“For the first year, we could not have a landing. So, we continued with that discussion. But since the Aare of Musulumi asked for it, and because this is a government you put in place, we will be observing Hijrah as a public holiday in Oyo state,” he was quoted to have said.

This is not the first time a state governor has declared a public holiday for Hijrah.

In 2014, Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun, had declared October 27 of that year as a public holiday to mark Hijrah in the state.

Meanwhile, in his address at the Mawlud celebration, Makinde stressed the need for Muslims and non-Muslims to continue to live peacefully.

He also urged residents to contribute their quota to overcoming the challenges of insecurity facing the state, adding that the government is doing everything it can to make Oyo secure.