To celebrate Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary, the Federal Government has declared Monday, October 3, 2022, as a public holiday.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola via a press statement which was signed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore on Wednesday.
As obtained from the Statement, Aregbesola reaffirmed Nigeria’s preeminent position in the community of nations and the greatness that lay ahead of the country, and he pledged that the government was committed to addressing all the issues the country was facing and putting smiles on everyone’s faces.
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.
“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 academia, science and technology, business, innovation, music, entertainment, fashion or culture.”
The Minister urged Nigerians to use the celebration as an opportunity to consider the problems the country is currently facing and what part they can play in solving them.
He wished Nigerians a memorable independence day and recalled that despite their differences in language, tribe, and religion, Nigeria’s founding fathers still worked together to achieve independence.
He stated “Though our nation is going through challenges, especially on security, these challenges are temporary and do not define us. We are defined by the greatness of the Nigerian people in our diversity, strength, ingenuity and resilience.
“We shall overcome all the challenges. A time is coming when we shall look at this period in retrospect and give thanks to the most high for the stormy waters we have waded through and the triumphs we have recorded over the challenges that look so huge and gargantuan today”.
