FG declares Monday public holiday, hails Nigerians

The Federal Government has declared Monday, October 3 as a public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence Anniversary Celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore.

Aregbesola congratulated Nigerians on the celebration and assured the citizens of the government’s commitment to tackling all the challenges facing the nation and bring smiles to the faces of all the people.

He said, “The world is going through dire economic and security challenges which have also affected our nation. However, I am assuring us all that the government will not abandon the people, but will continue to confront all these challenges with all the might at our disposal until respite comes our way.”

The Minister noted that greatness “is ahead of the country if we work hard at it as a people.”

He added, “Our warmth, welcoming spirit and love as well as our unbounded human capital and the richness of our land, make Nigeria unarguably the leading black nation in the world and Africa’s pride and beacon of hope. If we can rally ourselves together to harness our potential, we shall be the greatest nation on the earth.

“A country of over 200 million people whose natural talents, grit and passion glitter like the precious diamond that we are; Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in the academia, science and technology, business, innovation, music, entertainment, fashion or culture.”