The Nigerian government has declared Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 as public holidays to mark the Workers’ Day and Eld-el-Fitr celebrations.
This was announced on Thursday by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, according to a statement by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore.
Aregbesola commended workers for their hard work, diligence, and sacrifice, noting that their efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country.
The statement partly read “Labour is the very essence of humanity. We are alive because we work and only the dead are incapable of working.
“I, therefore, enjoin workers to imbibe the culture of productivity. Workers are also urged to raise the bar of their trade-in line with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired) led administration’s drive to rev up the vehicle of governance and make all the people of Nigeria derive maximum benefit from the nation. The end of work is productivity. It is productivity that leads to the satisfactory provision of goods and services and wealth creation. It is therefore the path to national and individual prosperity.”
He further congratulated all Muslims on the successful completion of the holy month of Ramadan.
He, however, urged the Muslim faithful to imbibe and practice the virtues of kindness, love, tolerance, peace, self-denial, sacrifice, and good neighbourliness, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
“The minister expresses confidence that the security challenges in some parts of the country will soon be a thing of the past, noting that the government is putting determined efforts and all necessary measures in place for Nigerians to enjoy unfettered peace all around.
“Aregbesola assured Nigerians that the Buhari’s regime was fully committed to the security of life and property of every citizen and foreigners alike, urging Nigerians to be part of the nation’s security architecture by being vigilant and reporting suspicious individuals and activities to law enforcement agencies.”