Good Friday in Nigeria

Meaning and place in Holy Week

For Christians, Good Friday recalls the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion. It falls within Holy Week and comes before Easter Sunday, which celebrates the Resurrection.[2][3]

Public holiday under Nigerian law

The Public Holidays Act includes Good Friday in its schedule of holidays kept throughout Nigeria. The Act also says that a public holiday falling on a Saturday or Sunday does not automatically receive another day in lieu; the Minister may alter a holiday in a special case by public notice.[1]

The Act allows the head of a government department to require staff to perform duties on a public holiday when public service or public convenience requires it. The holiday therefore does not mean every public service stops, and the Act does not establish that every private business must close.[1]

Church observances

Practices vary among churches and communities. In Catholic observances described by the Archdiocese of Lagos, the Good Friday service includes readings from scripture, prayers, adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion; the archdiocese describes the day as one of penance, fasting and abstinence from meat.[2]

An account from the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja describes a local Good Friday dramatization of the Passion and the veneration of the Cross.[3]

Planning around the holiday

Because Good Friday is a public holiday nationwide, check the opening hours of any office or service you plan to visit. The law allows some government departments to operate when needed, and it does not specify the opening hours of banks, shops or transport services.[1]