Is the Federal Government right to have extended the Eid-el-Fitri holiday?

Stakeholders share their views on the extension of the Ramadan holiday

Chief Olu Falae (Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation)

I am a farmer. I don’t go on holidays, except on Sundays. There are economic implications. It means the total output for the year will now be 365 days minus the output of one additional holiday. So, there will be a reduction in national income.

Femi Okurounmu (former Secretary, the Yoruba Unity Forum)

It shows that we are an unserious nation. It is a confirmation that we are an unserious nation. First, we don’t need two days for the festival. To make it worse, they imposed an extra day holiday. Many civil servants do not even spend up to four hours at work on normal work days. Most civil servants in Abuja hardly go to work on Mondays and Fridays; most of them go to the mosque on Fridays.

If they come to work at all, they leave very early. So, we are not a serious country. It’s like we are allergic to hard work. It’s okay to worship God; but there must be sanity in the way we do so because God helps those who help themselves. We have lost many working hours. If we value our time, and quantify the worth of the wasted days, it would amount to billions of naira. Even if it were not extended, many people would not have still resumed work this week. So, I think it is a wrong decision.

Abimbola Olanrewaju, an investment expert

The decision will push people of other beliefs to the edge. There is a tendency for others to be aggressive. It has a huge economic implication. The extra day means that Nigeria’s output is reduced by the equivalent of a day. Sometimes one wonders whether our leaders consider the economic effect of their decision. Our production capacity has reduced by a day. On the other hand, the wealth of the country has reduced by a day.

Although one could argue that Nigerians will rest for an extra day, and that their productivity will increase when they resume, that is not a reason the decision should have been taken. Even if I were a Muslim, I would still consider it absolutely unnecessary. Christians, hopefully, will not respond negatively by asking for more holidays. Yet, we should consider the economic implication of the extension.

Paul Unongo (Second Republic Minister of Power and Steel)

Interestingly, I had earlier told my wife that the government might extend the holiday because of the fact that the moon had not been sighted. Nigerians don’t like work. Any serious country will not do that. If people complain, they would use excuses based on religious affiliations to dismiss logical reasons.

You don’t treat a country like that. We had two days, why do we need another holiday on Thursday (today)? Friday is a prayer day. So, you don’t expect many ‘big men’ to return to work tomorrow. They will resume on Monday. I pity this country. We have become so confused about Nigeria. There are so many talents and much goodwill but the leadership has messed everything up.

As an old man, I am worried. When is this country going to work? If you give Nigerians 20 days as holiday, they will rejoice. Nigeria is in trouble. Our children have made Nigeria a joker state. We need a divine intervention. First, Nigerians complained of a bad government. They cried for a change and got one. But look at what is happening. A civil servant works and toils, but at the end of the month, there is no salary. What is happening to this country?

Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe (Former Minister of Works)

There is nothing bad about the extension of the holiday. It is good for the Muslims. After a long period of fasting and prayers, they deserve sufficient time to rest. They will have time to thank and glorify God and pray for our country.

Alhaji Abdulhameed Babatunde

Ramadan did not come to an end on Monday. And if you look at it from the point of convenience for the Muslim faithful, there was likelihood that some people who were fasting would not be able to travel. To embark on a journey while fasting could be stressful. Perhaps, the government considered to those who wanted to travel.

But that stops at humanitarian perspective. Otherwise from a business perspective, it does not make economic sense. This is because each day businesses do not open, the country loses a lot of money. A lot of appointments would have been cancelled. For instance, there was a lady who wanted to travel to Nigeria from the United States, she had sent her passport for visa hoping that holidays would end on Wednesday. Unfortunately for her, the US had a holiday on Monday while the Nigerian House in Washington DC will not open till Friday. The lady might not be able to travel again. There are so many engagements that would be called off. I hope Christians would understand, otherwise we may be expecting three day-holiday for Christmas.

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede (Secretary-General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria)

I am indifferent. The extension of the holiday does not add to Islam or remove from it. I think that the President Muhammadu Buhari government was only trying to be realistic in not making a pronouncement that cannot be enforced. This is because many that travelled are just returning .The problem we have is that the pronouncement has generated Islamophobia, a situation where the people castigate the government for the decision. I am indifferent. Whether the government extends it or not, it will still be criticised. But I think that our leaders must do what is right at all times.

Marcus Imoudu, a lawyer

The President may have rights within his discretionary power to extend the holiday. But the issue is whether the extension is expedient or not. I have witnessed many Eid-el-Fitri holidays, and I cannot remember a time that there was an extension. I don’t think it is expedient, and this is tied to our economic realities. We do not have the luxury to play around; everything we need to do to salvage the economy must be done.

The extension has enormous impact on the economy and other aspects of our national life. For instance, some of the court cases scheduled for hearing on Thursday (today) will not hold; important appointments would have been cancelled; crucial financial transactions would have been postponed. The country is further subjected to avoidable waste, and this unnecessary and avoidable.