Besides marking important historical dates, public holidays allow Nigerians to relax, explore, celebrate, and connect.
Legit.ng highlights the public holidays in the Year 2025, helping you plan accordingly.
Good Friday: April 18
For the Year 2025, Good Friday falls on Friday, April 18.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday to mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death on Calvary.
Easter holiday: April 21
While Easter Sunday is on April 20, Easter Monday for 2025 will be marked on Monday, April 21.
Easter is also a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It takes place three days after Jesus’s death on Good Friday.
Eid-el-Fitr 2025: March ending
Eid-el-Fitr 2025 is on the evening of Sunday, March 30, 2025, and Monday, March 31, 2025. The dates may vary. It is noteworthy that Muslims in Nigeria follow the final announcement of Sa’ad Abubakar, the president-general of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
Eid-el-Fitr is a holiday celebrated by Muslims and commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast daily from before dawn until sunset.
International Workers Day: May 1
Thursday, May 1, 2025, is International Workers Day. It is also called Labour Day and May Day.
Labour Day is celebrated every year on 1 May to commemorate the struggles and sacrifices of the workers’ and labours’ movement.
Democracy Day: June 12
Democracy Day celebration is a very important celebration for Nigeria as it marks the country’s strides in democratic governance.
Eid-el-Kabir: June
Eid-el-Kabir, also known as Eid-ed-Adha, may be celebrated on Saturday, June 7, 2025 (tentative date). It is, however, subject to the sighting of the moon. Sunday, June 8, may also be Eid-el-Kabir’s additional public holiday.
It follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The FG is expected to declare more than one day as public holiday.
Eid-el-Maulud: September 2025
In September, the federal government will declare a public holiday to mark the Eid-el-Maulud.
It is the time set aside to mark the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Nigeria Independence Day: Wednesday, October 1
Nigeria’s Independence Day is on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Christmas: Thursday, December 25
Thursday, December 25, 2025, is another public holiday: Christmas Day.
Christmas is the Christian festival to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Christmas season, especially in the West, is a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular traditions. What is interesting is the etymology of the word Christmas. It literally means Christian Mass. It is a shortened form of Christ’s Mass.
Christmas is a time of spiritual reflection on the important foundations of the Christian faith. It is also a celebration. Christians celebrate God’s love for the world through the birth of Jesus during Christmas.
Boxing Day: Friday, December 26
Boxing Day is the holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day.
It is traditionally celebrated in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria.
Ondo declares public holiday
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo declared a work-free day for the state’s local government election.
The governor’s chief press secretary (CPS), Ebenezer Adeniyan, confirmed this in a statement.