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Tag: Public Holiday

  • Election: No public holiday in Lagos on Friday – LASG

    The Lagos State Government says there no public holiday on Friday, March 8, advising all civil servants to be at their various duty posts.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos.

    Bamigbetan decried reports currently circulating on social media platforms suggesting that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode had declared Friday as public holiday to enable residents prepare for the March 9 Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    He restated that all public and private schools in the state were expected to proceed on the 2nd mid-term break on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March, as earlier announced by the state’s Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule.

    According to him, all public and private schools will resume academic activities on Monday, March 11, in accordance with the revised school calendar for the 2018/2019 academic year.

  • 2019 election: FG declares Friday public holiday

    Nigeria’s Federal Government has declared Friday, 22 February as a public holiday, to enable citizens to prepare for Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

    Bankers and those offering essential services across the nation are excluded, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.

    “The work-free day is to enable citizens to return to their polling units for the reschedule Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    “Security agencies have been directed to ensure the safety of lives and property before, during and after the general election,” the ministry said.

  • June 12: Reps divided as Public Holidays Act passes amendment

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    The House of Representatives was on Thursday polarized on the basis of party affliations during the debate on a bill seeking an amendment to the Public Holidays Act to recognize June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria as against the choice of May 29 it is usually marked annually.

    The Bill was entitled: ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Public Holidays Ac,t Cap40 LFN 2004 to bring the Act in tandem with the current realities and exigencies of modern times and to declare June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria and for Related Matters’ sponsored by Hon Edward Pwajok (Plateau,APC) and Hon Kayode Oladele (Ogun, APC).

    After the debate on the general principles of the proposed legislation which Pwajok hinted is to be done as a mark of post humous honour to Chief MKO Abiola who was acclaimed winner of June 12,1993 Presidential election, lawmakers of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party tookbtime to criticise the propriety of the action.

    Not even President Muhammadu Buhari and APC lawmaker who said that the amendment to the Public Holiday Act to move Democracy Day to June 12 every year was to strengthen democratic practices in the country was spared during the heated debate on the bill by other lawmakers.

    Speaking against the proposal, Hon Jones Onyereri (Imo, PDP) said that the bill ought to have been presented to the National Assembly before the proclamation by the President to that effect.

    He therefore insisted that the bill be presented as an executive bill and not a private member bill from a lawmaker.

    Similarly, Hon Sergius Ogun (Edo, PDP) said that President Buhari who truncated democracy in Nigeria in 1983 is not in a good position to declare June 12 Democracy Day the manner he did it.

    Apparently making jest at the APC led Federal Government he said that a monkey cannot give birth to a lion adding that those who do not have internal democracy in the running of their party should not be talking of democracy which its hallmark is free and fair elections.

    On his own part, Hon. Kingsley Chinda (Rivers,PDP) asked questions regarding the propriety of moving the Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 every year.He said: “what is the spirit behind the amendment?.

    He argued that even if we change democracy day to June 12 we must observe the May 29 public holidays every four years as a day of inauguration of a new government in Nigeria.

    Nonetheless, some other lawmakers of the ruling APC fired back as they stoutly opposed their PDP counterparts saying that ruling party is committed to provide the enabling environment for democracy and it’s tenets to thrive in Nigeria.

    APC lawmakers who spoke in favour of the bill including Hon.Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia,APC) and Hon. Gudaji Kazaure (Jigawa, APC) said that the President Buhari who initially declared June 12 as public holiday did so out of democracy blood running down in his vein.

    Whereas Onyejeocha said that since Buhari has said that the nation will have a free and fair general elections, and the onus is on the citizenry to hold him accountable to it, Kazaure said that we must not repeat the mistake of the past which our children would continue to read as our nation’s sad history.

    He added that the bill is well intended and urged that it passes through stages of the legislative process as proposed by the lawmakers.

    Consequently the Speaker Hon. Yakubu Dogara pleaded that national unity and cohesion be put first by both the proponents and opponents of the bill and put the matter to a voice voice.

    Dogara said that the supporters of the bill had outnumbered the opposition to it during the voting and the bill scaled second reading and was committed to the Committee of the Whole for further inputs

     

  • Eid-El Maulud: FG declares Tuesday public holiday

    The federal government has declared Tuesday as Public Holiday to mark the Eid-el Maulud.

    The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, a retired lieutenant general, made the declaration on Friday in Abuja in a statement by Mohammed Umar, Permanent Secretary of the ministry.

    Dambazau called on Muslim faithful to align themselves with the prophet’s teachings which border on piety, charity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence, among others.

    He equally called on all Nigerians to uphold these virtues with a view to overcoming the current national challenges facing the country.

    Dambazau assured that the federal government remained committed to the unity of the country, and as such, would put adequate structures on ground towards ensuring that forthcoming general elections were credible, free and fair.

    He wishes all Nigerians a joyous and peaceful Eid-El Maulud.

  • Voters registration: Delta State declares public holiday

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has declared Thursday 16 and Friday 17 August 2018 public holiday to ensure public servants in the state participate fully in the ongoing voters registration exercise.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports this was disclosed in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Festus Agas.

    According to the statement, the declaration is informed by the fact that the ongoing voters registration exercise will terminate Friday 17th August 2018.

    “It is expected that public officers who have not registered before now will take advantage of the work free days to do so and ensure that they are not disenfranchised.

    “Similarly, officers that are yet to collect their permanent voters card should take advantage of the period to do so and conclude the important aspect of our political process,” the statement read.

     

  • 2019: Declare public holidays for collection of PVCs – Tinubu tells FG

    2019: Declare public holidays for collection of PVCs – Tinubu tells FG

    Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu on Sunday urged the Federal Government to declare public holidays for collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), ahead of the December 2018 deadline.

    Oluremi, in a statement in Lagos, said that the PVCs were the tools to participating in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

    She also urged residents in the state to ensure that they collect their PVCs.

    The call sequel to revelations by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that over seven million PVCs were yet to be collected nationwide, with one million and four hundred thousand from Lagos State.

    It would be recalled that prior to the 2015 elections, INEC had introduced the use of smart card readers. This has necessitated issuance of PVCs as part of the identification and authentication process.

    After the 2015 elections, about 12 million PVCs had remained in the electoral body’s custody.

    ”With previous elections, Nigerians developed voter apathy due to a distrust of the system.

    ” The 2015 elections taught us, however, that as individuals, our votes count. Thus, we must rise up as citizens to fulfill our civic responsibility and ensure accountability in governance,” she said.

    Towards the 2019 elections, INEC had released modalities for ongoing continuous voter registration. The centres open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

    Tinubu pleaded that the period should be extended; and should include weekends to allow people who were unable to visit the centres during work hours to do so at weekends.

    She said INEC should ensure that it had adequate resources to make the process quick and easy.

    She also called for increased voter education and sensitisation to achieve the desire results.

  • FG declares May 1 public holiday

    FG declares May 1 public holiday

    The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, May 1, 2018, as a public holiday to celebrate the 2018 Workers’ Day.

    The Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), who disclosed this in Abuja on Friday, congratulated Nigerian workers on their loyalty, the strength of character, hard work, sacrifice and dedication to building a greater Nigeria.

    The minister in a statement by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. M. Umar, appreciated “the central role workers play in government activities and decisions, and for keeping faith with the present administration in its resolve to build a better Nigeria.”

    Dambazau solicited the continuous support of Nigerian workers in government’s effort to re-position the economy and uphold the shared legacy of all Nigerians.

    “The minister wishes all Nigerian workers a successful May Day celebration,” the statement said.

     

  • Bauchi declares public holiday for Buhari’s visit

    The Bauchi State Government has declared Thursday, April 26, 2018, a public holiday in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state.

    The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the state governor, Mohammed Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen.

    He said the work-free day was part of the effort to give all Bauchi residents a chance to welcome the president.

    The statement reads, “Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi state has declared tomorrow Thursday April 26th, 2018 public holiday ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari two day Presidential visit.

    “The holiday is declared to enable all and sundry to give the August visitor a rousing reception tomorrow.

    “Earlier in a broadcast to the state, the Governor had enjoined the people of the state to come out enmass to receive the president expected to arrive tomorrow Thursday morning.”

    During President Buhari’s two-day visit, he’s expected to commission some projects especially roads and flag off the distribution of 500 tractors to farmers in the state.

  • Plateau govt. declares public holiday for President Buhari

    The Plateau government has declared Thursday, March 8, a work-free day to enable residents welcome President Muhammadu Buhari on a one-day working visit to the state.

    Mr Izam Azi, Head of Service, announced this on Tuesday in Jos, after an emergency State Executive Council meeting.

    “The holiday will afford civil servants and other citizens the opportunity to give the President a rousing welcome,” Azi said.

    Meanwhile, Mr Yakubu Dati, Commissioner for Information and Communication, has said that there would be restriction of movement during the visit, especially around areas the President would inaugurate projects.

    Dati said that government had created alternative routes in affected areas, adding that security agencies would guide movements during the day.

     

  • Just in: FG declares Oct. 2 Public holiday for 57th Independence

    As part of activities to mark the country’s 57th Independence Anniversary, the Federal Government has declared Monday, October 2, public holiday.

    October 1, which is the anniversary proper, is Sunday, a non-working day.

    The Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), made the declaration in a statement yesterday by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Abubakar Magaji.

    The statement quoted Dambazau as congratulating the citizenry on the 57th Independence anniversary urge the public to work towards strengthening the bonds of unity and peaceful co-existence,While reflecting on the last 57 years, the Minister concluded that giant strides had been recorded in terms of human capital development and the like.

    The minister enjoined all Nigerians to remain steadfast in the love and care of the country, noting that a strong sense of ownership of one’s country is vital to the sustainable development of any nation.

    He expressed profound appreciation to Nigerians and the international community for their support and co-operation with President Muhammadu Buhari.