In a statement signed by the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah, January 1 was also designated as a public holiday.

The public holidays are for the Christmas (December 25th), Boxing Day (December 26th) and New Year (January 1st) celebrations.

According to the statement, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, felicitates with “Christians and all Nigerians both at home and abroad on this year’s Christmas and New Year Celebrations.”

The Minister also “enjoined all Christians to live within the virtues and teachings of Jesus Christ, which hinge on compassion, patience, peace, humility, righteousness and love for one another, adding that doing so would guarantee an atmosphere of peace and security in the country.”