The federal government has declared Monday, Oct. 2 as a public holiday in commemoration of Nigeria’s 63rd independence celebration which falls on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
This is contained in a statement by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the holiday on behalf of the federal government and congratulated all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.
Tunj-Ojo was however silent about why Nigerians should be consigned to rest on Monday in addition to Saturday and Sunday which are work-free days in the country.
But he assured Nigerians of the government’s continued commitment to tackling challenges facing the country.
“It is today a known fact that difficult socio-economic and security challenges are global, and Nigeria is not isolated.”
According to the minister, the government was really making efforts to confront these varied and numerous challenges with all the might available until respite came.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo reiterated that the eminent position of Nigeria in the comity of nations and the greatness ahead of the country was achievable if we all worked together in unity.
He stated that our warm welcoming spirit and love as well as our unbounded human capital and the richness of our land makes Nigeria unarguably the leading black nation in the world.
This, he said, is Africa’s pride and beacon of hope for the ‘Renewed Hope’ of President Bola Tinubu.
While wishing the citizens a memorable independence celebration, the minister recalled that our founding fathers, in spite of the differences in faith, tribe, and tongue, came together for Nigeria’s freedom which we all enjoy today.
The present administration through the ‘Renew Hope’ agenda would ensure a better Nigeria for all citizens, as a befitting tribute to our heroes’ past.