The Federal Government has declared Friday 7, and Monday 10, April as public holidays for the celebration of Good Friday and Easter Monday respectively.
A statement signed by the ministry's permanent secretary, Shuaib Belgore, said Rauf Aregbesola, the minister, made the declaration in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Aregbesola urged the Christian faithful to emulate the virtues of sacrifice, togetherness, and forgiveness demonstrated by Jesus Christ.
He said they should uphold the virtue of kindness, love, peace, and patience which were attributes of Jesus, as exemplified by his ministry on the earth.
He called on Christians to use the occasion to pray for Nigeria especially the insecurity in some parts of the country.
In his words, “While wishing Christians at home and in the Diaspora a happy and peaceful Easter celebration, he also enjoins them to love their neighbors through acts of kindness and generosity of spirit, with the well-to-do sharing their substance with the less privileged around them.
“Aregbesola once more assures Nigerians that the nation is persistently on the path to greatness and urges all to positively deploy their creative energy for the full realization of the coming prosperity.
“There is surely light at the end of the tunnel.
“He wishes all Christians a most blissful Easter celebration and all Nigerians a happy holiday,” the Minister stated.