The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a public holiday to commemorate this year’s Eid ul Mawlid, marking the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement issued on Friday by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani.
The declaration means workers and other members of the public will observe the holiday on Tuesday as Muslims across Nigeria mark the annual religious occasion.
Tunji-Ojo congratulated Muslims in Nigeria and across the diaspora on the celebration, urging them to use the occasion to reflect on the values associated with the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
“Every Eid ul Mawlid gives us reason to pause and draw lessons from a life defined by compassion, humility and service to others,” the minister said.
He added, “These are qualities our nation needs now more than ever, and I encourage every Nigerian, not just our Muslim brothers and sisters, to reflect on them.”
The minister also called on Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace, unity and national cohesion, stressing that the responsibility of maintaining peace in the country rests on everyone.
Tunji-Ojo urged Nigerians to celebrate the Eid ul Mawlid with restraint, mutual respect and consideration for others, while wishing members of the Muslim community a joyful and peaceful celebration.
He further reaffirmed the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to protecting lives and property and ensuring the sustenance of peace across the country.
The latest declaration comes shortly after the Lagos State Government observed a separate work-free day on Thursday, to enable residents participate in the state’s Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day celebration.
The Lagos holiday was announced to facilitate participation in the annual traditional religious and cultural celebration, which the state government said was expected to attract more than three million people.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, announced this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to him, the celebration represents a living expression of Yoruba tradition and spirituality and underscores the significance of indigenous culture within Nigeria’s religious and cultural landscape.
“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” Aregbe said.
He said the Yoruba people, numbering more than 55 million globally, had continued to preserve their culture by passing it from one generation to another.
Aregbe added that the continuity of Yoruba traditions had also sustained Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in countries such as Cuba, Brazil and across the Caribbean, where people of Yoruba descent continue to observe the practices.
“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” he said.
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a week-long programme of traditional activities and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023 following a request by the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has maintained the tradition annually as part of his administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.
Unlike the Lagos declaration, which applied to workers and public servants in the state, the Federal Government’s announcement of Tuesday’s holiday applies nationally in recognition of Eid ul Mawlid.