Fact-Check: FG Did Not Declare Three-Day Holiday For Eid-Ul-Adha
Claim: Viral reports on several news blogs and broadcast on social media platforms especially Whatsapp stated the Federal Government on Tuesday announced three-day Eid-ul-Adha holidays from July 20 to 22.
Verdict: This is false and misleading because the Federal Government is yet to make any official pronouncement or declaration for the Eid-ul-Adha holiday in Nigeria as at time of report.
Full Text:
Several news blog had reported the Federal Government on Tuesday announced three-day Eidul Adha holidays from July 20 to 22.
Similarly, different misleading messages broadcasted on social media platforms especially Whatsapp also carried the same content, stating the Federal Government had declared July 20, 21 and 22 as public holidays.
One of the viral posts seen by our correspondent on Whatsapp tagged "forwarded many times" by the instant messaging app.
What is Eid-ul-Adha?
Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two official Islamic holidays celebrated within Islam.
It honours the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God's command.
Checks by The Nation revealed the viral news had emanated from some news agencies in Pakistan, including The Express Tribune.
The viral news had stated that the Government of Pakistan decided that it would grant a three-day holiday on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, Geo News reported, citing sources.
As per the report, the holidays will fall from July 20 to July 22 — marking the three days of Eid.
Sources said that the Interior Ministry had sent a summary to the Prime Minister, suggesting a four-day holiday on Eid-ul-Adha.
In case of three holidays, employees will have to resume offices on the third day of Eid, sources said.
But this information has gone viral in Nigeria with many news blog misleading readers.
Verification
Checks by The Nation showed that Federal Government is yet to make any official pronouncement or declaration of when the holidays will be observed.
The usual trend is for the Federal Government to declare two work-days as public holidays especially for Muslim festivals.
The Nation reports the Sultan of Sokoto and President General Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar had declared July 11, as the first day of Dhul-Hijja 1442AH.
Dhul-Hijja is the 12th month of the Islamic calendar.
Over time, the usual channel used in communicating public holidays is through the Ministry of Interior.
The Minister of Interior is expected to make the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Sultan is an authority who makes official declaration and also gives advisory on how and when Muslims will observe their festivals/breaks.
When The Nation reached out to the Ministry of Interior, it debunked the viral dates and noted the authentic dates will made be public before the end of the week ahead of the festival scheduled for next week.
Conclusion
The claim that the Federal Government declared a three-day holiday is false and misleading. The Federal Government is yet to make any official pronouncement for the Eid-ul-Adha holiday in Nigeria as at time of report.
