President Bola Ahmed Tinubu used Eid-el-Kabir prayers in Lagos on Wednesday to urge Nigerians to reject ethnic division and hatred, while the Federal Government said the holiday runs through Thursday for the 2026 celebration.
Tinubu spoke after observing prayers at Dodan Barracks in Lagos, where he said Nigerians should be tolerant, generous and united as they build a greater country. He said Eid-el-Kabir should remind the faithful of obedience, compassion and total submission to the will of Allah, and that there should be no discrimination, no ethnicity and no hatred. The president also condemned banditry and violence, saying nowhere in the holy teachings does it say people should take a human life.
In the same remarks, Tinubu said Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity and shared humanity, and that differences in ethnicity, religion and politics should never override the nation’s collective hope for peace, development and prosperity. He called on Nigerians to support the less privileged and reflect on the sanctity of human life, adding that the sacrifice taught by the festival places a high value on life itself.
The federal holiday declaration gave the question “is today public holiday in nigeria” a simple answer for Muslims observing Eid-ul-Adha: yes, Wednesday, 27th May 2026, was one of two public holidays announced for the festival, with Thursday, 28th May 2026, also set aside. The move came as millions of Nigerian Muslims marked the 2026 celebrations under the 1447 AH calendar.
Tinubu was joined at the prayer ground by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, the Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The Grand Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Sulaimon Abou-Nolla, urged worshippers to uphold piety, sacrifice, generosity and unity.
The message in Lagos matched the one sent in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who called on Nigerians to strengthen national unity and make collective sacrifices. It also came against a backdrop of hardship and insecurity, with the holiday period used by leaders to press again for restraint, faith and shared responsibility.
That leaves the direct answer for anyone asking whether today is a public holiday in Nigeria: it was declared one for Eid-ul-Adha on Wednesday, with another holiday following on Thursday. The country’s leaders are not treating the festival as a routine pause, but as a public test of whether unity can still outrun fear, anger and division.
