Nigeria Public Holidays in December 2026

NIGERIA · HOLIDAYS

The Nigeria public holidays for December 2026 are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, which the Public Holidays Act fixes, and Boxing Day, which Nigerian media place on Saturday 26 December, and we found no formal 2026 notice for it yet. New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027 follows a week later, and the Nigerian Exchange already lists Boxing Day as Monday 28 December.

For US readers, the practical effect is that government offices, the US Embassy and the stock exchange close on Friday 25 December, while the Saturday and the Monday after it are still uncertain. Nigerian law gives no day off in lieu when a holiday falls on a Saturday, but the president can appoint one.

We checked the Public Holidays Act, the exchange’s calendar, the US Embassy’s holiday calendar, the US State Department and Nigerian news outlets on 23 October 2026. Where the sources disagree or are silent, we say so under what is not known.

Nigeria Public Holidays in December 2026: The Dates

Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, and Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December 2026. Legit.ng, a Nigerian news site, wrote on 6 October 2026 that the federal government will declare both days public holidays.

New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027, and the Public Holidays Act lists it among the days that must be kept as public holidays throughout Nigeria. The government declared 1 January 2026 a holiday in its notice of 22 December 2025, so a similar notice for 2027 is likely but not yet issued.

The Interior Ministry makes the declaration, and in 2025 it came from Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in a statement issued by Permanent Secretary Magdalene Ajani on Monday 22 December. That was three days before Christmas, and the News Agency of Nigeria carried the statement.

In 2020 the notice came on 23 December, two days before Christmas, from the then Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola. It named Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December and Friday 1 January 2021 as public holidays, according to the Federal Ministry of Information.

What the Law Says About a Saturday Holiday

Section 5 of the Public Holidays Act says that when two holidays fall on a Friday and a Saturday, only the Friday is kept and no day is added in lieu of the Saturday. It adds that a holiday falling on a Saturday or a Sunday is kept on that day only, with no other day in lieu, and the Act’s schedule names Christmas Day but not Boxing Day, so Boxing Day depends on a yearly notice.

Section 2 lets the president appoint a special day as a public holiday by public notice, either across Nigeria or in part of it. In 2020 Boxing Day also fell on a Saturday, and the government named Monday 28 December as a holiday, though the notice we read does not say which section it used.

Section 4 says no one can be forced to do on a public holiday what he could not be forced to do on a Sunday. Section 6 lets the head of a government department require staff to work on a holiday when the public interest demands it, so some public offices may stay open.

The Monday 28 December Question

The Nigerian Exchange, which runs the country’s stock market, lists Christmas Day as Friday 25 December 2026 and Boxing Day as Monday 28 December 2026 on its trading holidays page. It says there will be no trading on its listed holiday dates and that changes follow confirmation from the federal government.

That differs from the Legit.ng account, which places Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December. The exchange may be assuming a Monday substitute as in 2020, though its page does not say so.

Until the Interior Ministry issues its notice, treat Monday 28 December as possible but unconfirmed. If you must complete a bank, legal or government errand, do it on Thursday 24 December and not on the 28th.

Banks, Markets and Offices

For US investors in Nigerian shares, the exchange’s calendar means no trading on Friday 25 December and, if its calendar holds, on Monday 28 December. The page shows only the 2026 calendar, so it lists no date for 1 January 2027.

We found no notice from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the December 2026 dates. Check the hours of your own bank branch and of any government office you need, because we could not confirm them.

US Embassy and Consulate Closures

The holiday calendar on the US Embassy’s own website lists Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026, observed by both countries, and Boxing Day on 26 December, a Nigerian holiday, as closure days for the Abuja embassy and the Lagos consulate. The same calendar shows Thursday 26 November for US Thanksgiving, and Legit.ng, a Nigerian news site, published the full list on 10 October 2026 and wrote that emergency help for US citizens stays available during holiday periods.

The British High Commission also closes on Friday 25 December, Legit.ng reported on 9 October 2026. The Legit.ng article advises anyone with an appointment on that day to reschedule.

Book passport and notary visits for Thursday 24 December or earlier, or for the first week of January. The embassy calendar lists no closure on Monday 28 December, but a federal notice could add one, so check its website before you assume it is open.

Entry Rules and Travel Advice for US Citizens

The State Department keeps Nigeria at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in an advisory issued on 12 June 2026, and it lists several states at Level 4, Do Not Travel. US citizens need a visa for Nigeria and must apply before they travel.

A passport must be valid for at least six months beyond arrival and have a blank page for each stamp, the department says. Travelers older than nine months must show yellow fever and polio vaccination certificates on arrival.

The department also lists unreliable health care, says private and public hospitals need payment up front or proof of good insurance, and calls Nigeria high risk for malaria. It strongly recommends medical evacuation insurance, and our guide to Nigeria visa and residency rules covers the application route.

What It Means for You

If you are flying to Nigeria for Christmas, treat Thursday 24 December as your last certain working day for banks, embassies and government offices. Friday 25 December is a statutory holiday, while Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December depend on the federal notice.

For the city around the holidays, see our Lagos expat city guide and the Rio Times Nigeria hub. For the season’s events and flights, see Detty December in Lagos and Accra, the Detty December Fest guide and Lagos airport in December.

What Is Not Known

The Interior Ministry has not published its 2026 notice, so Saturday 26 December, Monday 28 December and Friday 1 January 2027 are unconfirmed. We also do not know when the notice will come, and in 2020 and 2025 it came two to three days before Christmas.

The US Embassy’s holiday calendar labels 26 December 2026 a Friday when it is a Saturday, and it does not say whether the embassy opens on Monday 28 December. We found no Central Bank of Nigeria notice and no airline or airport statement on holiday schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Nigeria public holidays in December 2026?

Christmas Day is Friday 25 December and Boxing Day is expected on Saturday 26 December, and New Year’s Day follows on Friday 1 January 2027. The Nigerian Exchange also lists Boxing Day as Monday 28 December, which the federal government has not confirmed.

Is Monday 28 December 2026 a public holiday in Nigeria?

It is not confirmed, because the Interior Ministry has not issued its 2026 notice. The Public Holidays Act gives no day in lieu for a Saturday holiday, but the government added Monday 28 December in 2020, when Boxing Day also fell on a Saturday.

Is the US Embassy in Nigeria open on 25 December?

No, the US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos are listed as closed on Friday 25 December 2026 and Saturday 26 December. Legit.ng reports that emergency help for US citizens stays available during holiday periods.

Sources: Public Holidays Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (PLAC copy); Nigerian Exchange, trading holidays 2026; US State Department, Nigeria travel information; News Agency of Nigeria via AllAfrica, FG declares 25, 26 December and 1 January holidays, 22 December 2025; Federal Ministry of Information, holidays of 25 and 28 December 2020 and 1 January 2021; ThisDay, FG declares Friday, Monday, January 1 public holidays, 24 December 2020; Legit.ng, Federal Government to declare 2 more public holidays for 2026, 6 October 2026; US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria, holiday calendar; Legit.ng, US Embassy and Consulate remaining 2026 closures, 10 October 2026; Legit.ng, US Embassy and UK High Commission closure, 9 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error