The Federal Government declared Monday, October 3, 2022, as a public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence Anniversary Celebration.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration, on behalf of the Federal Government.
He congratulated Nigerians on this year’s celebration and assured them of the government’s commitment to tackling challenges facing the nation.
Mr Aregbesola reiterates the eminent position of Nigeria in the comity of nations and the greatness ahead of the country if we work hard at it as a people.
“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,” Aregbesola said.
The Minister admonishes Nigerians to use the occasion of the celebration to reflect on the challenges facing the nation and the role individuals can play in addressing them.
He urged Nigerians to work hard, and shun any attraction to get rich through criminal and other immoral means, saying only through productivity can an individual and the nation create wealth and get rich.
The minister while wishing Nigerians a memorable independence celebration reminds them of the fact that the founding fathers, in spite of the differences in faith, tribe and tongue, still came together for the nation’s independence.
“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,”
He, therefore, called on all Nigerians to join hands together with the Muhammadu Buhari Administration in its quest to ensure a better Nigeria for all citizens, both at home and abroad as this, he said, shall be a befitting tribute to our hero’s past.
The Minister further urged Nigerians to shun violence of any kind and be security conscious. He asked them to report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest security agency and through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS, saying “when you see something do N-Alert for the prompt response from security agents”.
