Public Holidays

Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Nigeria and start planning to make the most of your time off.

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Thu	New Year's Day
20 Mar	Fri	Id el Fitri
21 Mar	Sat	Id el Fitri Holiday
3 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
6 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Fri	Labour Day
27 May	Wed	Id el Kabir
28 May	Thu	Id el Kabir Holiday
12 Jun	Fri	Democracy Day
25 Aug	Tue	Id el Maulud
1 Oct	Thu	National Day
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Sat	Boxing Day
Visit nigeria-law.org for the original release.

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Fri	New Year's Day
9 Mar	Tue	Id el Fitri
10 Mar	Wed	Id el Fitri Holiday
26 Mar	Fri	Good Friday
29 Mar	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Sat	Labour Day
16 May	Sun	Id el Kabir
17 May	Mon	Id el Kabir Holiday
12 Jun	Sat	Democracy Day
14 Aug	Sat	Id el Maulud
1 Oct	Fri	National Day
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Sun	Boxing Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2027 are released.

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Sat	New Year's Day
26 Feb	Sat	Id el Fitri
28 Feb	Mon	Id el Fitri Holiday
14 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
17 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Mon	Labour Day
6 May	Sat	Id el Kabir
7 May	Sun	Id el Kabir Holiday
12 Jun	Mon	Democracy Day
3 Aug	Thu	Id el Maulud
1 Oct	Sun	National Day
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Tue	Boxing Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2028 are released.

In the nation of Nigeria, public holidays have the same status for workers as the weekly Sunday day-off. Employers may generally not compel work on Sundays or public holidays in Nigeria.

The law that establishes public holidays in Nigeria is the Public Holiday Act. The Public Holiday Act creates public holidays for the entire Nation of Nigeria. The holidays are of three types: Christian holidays such as Christmas, Muslim Holidays such as the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and general holidays such as Labour Day.

The Public Holiday Act was enacted on 1st January 1979. It abolished previous public holidays and set the process for making public holidays for the nation, states, and local areas. The President has the power to declare holidays for the entire nation or any state or part of the country. Governors have the power to declare public holidays in their states or for any part of their states. The Minister for Internal Affairs has powers to change designated holiday dates when he or she determines it necessary or appropriate.

Nigerian workers have a right to a day of rest on Sundays, and no work on public holidays. Employers and employees must negotiate and agree on pay for holidays and Sundays. This agreement can be in a labour contract, Union agreement, or public employee contract.

Ministers and Agency Heads can order public employees to perform duties on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. They can do so when deemed necessary or in the public interest.