Nigeria bank holidays 2026 and 2027
Nigeria has 18 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day), Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day), Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day substitute (possible)), Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day).
Currency: NGN · Time zone: Africa/Lagos · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When Nigeria banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | In the Public Holidays Act schedule. The Ministry of Interior usually confirms Christmas holidays by press statement in late December. |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Expected | Falls on a Saturday. Boxing Day is not in the Act schedule as published by PLAC, but the Federal Government declares it every year (it did so for 26 Dec 2025). |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day substitute (possible) | observed/substitute day | Expected | In 2020, with the same weekday layout (Christmas Friday, Boxing Day Saturday), the Ministry of Interior declared Monday 28 Dec a holiday. Section 5 of the Public Holidays Act text on PLAC says no replacement day is given when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, but the Ministry of Interior has repeatedly declared Monday or Tuesday substitutes in practice. Not declared yet. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | public holiday | Confirmed | In the Act schedule. Falls on a Friday. |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Id el Fitr | public holiday | Expected | Islamic calendar date; depends on moon sighting. Date shown is an estimate from published calendars and can move by a day or more. The Minister of Interior declares the day(s). Some calendars give 10 Mar 2027. |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | public holiday | Confirmed | In the Act schedule. |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | public holiday | Confirmed | In the Act schedule. |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Workers' Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday. |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Workers' Day substitute (possible) | observed/substitute day | Expected | In 2021, when 1 May was a Saturday, the Ministry of Interior declared Monday 3 May a holiday. Section 5 of the Public Holidays Act text on PLAC says no replacement day is given when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, but the Ministry of Interior has repeatedly declared Monday or Tuesday substitutes in practice. Not declared yet. |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Id el Kabir (Eid al-Adha) | public holiday | Expected | Islamic calendar date; depends on moon sighting. Date shown is an estimate from published calendars and can move by a day or more. Falls on a Sunday on this estimate; other calendars give Monday 17 May. The Minister declares the day(s). |
| Sat 12 Jun 2027 | Democracy Day | public holiday | Confirmed | June 12 replaced May 29 as Democracy Day under the 2019 amendment to the Public Holidays Act. Falls on a Saturday. No substitute declared yet; in 2021, when 12 June was a Saturday, Monday 14 June was declared a holiday (see 14 Jun 2027). |
| Mon 14 Jun 2027 | Democracy Day substitute (possible) | observed/substitute day | Expected | In 2021, when 12 June was a Saturday, the Ministry of Interior declared Monday 14 June 2021 a public holiday for Democracy Day. The Public Holidays Act text gives no replacement day for weekend holidays, but the Ministry has repeatedly declared Monday substitutes in practice. Not declared yet. |
| Sun 15 Aug 2027 | Id el Maulud (Prophet's birthday) | public holiday | Expected | Islamic calendar date; depends on moon sighting. Date shown is an estimate from published calendars and can move by a day or more. Falls on a Sunday on this estimate. |
| Fri 1 Oct 2027 | National Day (Independence Day) | public holiday | Confirmed | In the Act schedule. Falls on a Friday. |
| Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday. |
| Sun 26 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Expected | Falls on a Sunday. Declared annually rather than listed in the Act schedule. |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas substitute (possible) | observed/substitute day | Expected | In 2021, with the same weekday layout (Christmas Saturday, Boxing Day Sunday), the Ministry of Interior declared Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 Dec holidays. Section 5 of the Public Holidays Act text on PLAC says no replacement day is given when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, but the Ministry of Interior has repeatedly declared Monday or Tuesday substitutes in practice. Not declared yet. |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day substitute (possible) | observed/substitute day | Expected | See 27 Dec 2027. Based on the 2021 precedent only. |
"Expected" means the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting and may move. Check the official source before you rely on it.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIP (NIBSS Instant Payment) | Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) | 24/7 | yes source |
| CBN RTGS | Central Bank of Nigeria | Business days only. The CBN pages reached did not publish operating hours. One payment provider (Verto, routing via FCMB) states a midday cut-off: payments initiated before 12:00 settle the same day, later ones the next working day. Bank-specific cut-offs can be earlier than the CBN window. | no source |
Highest-risk window: Christmas Friday 25 Dec 2026 and Boxing Day Saturday 26 Dec 2026, with a likely but undeclared Monday 28 Dec substitute based on the 2020 precedent; the Ministry of Interior normally announces this only days before. Sources conflict on weekend substitutes: the Act text on PLAC (section 5) says none are given, yet the government declared Monday substitutes in 2020, 2021 and for Workers' Day 2021. Our PLAC copy may predate later amendments, so treat every weekend holiday as a possible Monday closure. INEC's revised timetable (Feb 2026) puts the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday 16 Jan 2027 and Governorship elections on Saturday 6 Feb 2027 (an earlier timetable said 20 Feb and 6 Mar 2027). These are not gazetted holidays but movement restrictions on polling days can disrupt cash and agent payouts. Eid dates depend on moon sighting and are declared by the Minister of Interior shortly beforehand. State governments also declare their own holidays (not listed). NIP runs 24/7, so instant payouts continue on holidays; RTGS and branch-dependent flows stop, so prefund NIP-connected payout banks before the holiday block. CBN RTGS hours were not confirmed from a CBN page.
Other calendars
Sources
- Public Holidays Act (Laws of the Federation) · Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC)
- Buhari signs June 12 bill into law · ThisDay
- FG declares Dec 25, 26 2025 and Jan 1 2026 public holidays · Federal Ministry of Interior
- FG declares December 25, 28 2020; January 1 2021 public holidays · Federal Ministry of Information
- FG declares Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th 2021 and Monday January 3rd 2022 public holidays · Federal Ministry of Information
- FG declares Monday, May 3, 2021 public holiday for Workers' Day · Federal Ministry of Information
- FG to declare 2 more public holidays for 2026 · Legit.ng
- National Holidays in Nigeria in 2027 · Office Holidays
- INEC issues revised timetable for 2027 general election · Voice of Nigeria
- 2027 presidential election holds on February 20, says INEC (superseded) · The Guardian Nigeria
- NIBSS Instant Payments (NIP): the game changer · NIBSS
- Nigeria payment system overview · Verto
- Central Bank of Nigeria RTGS case study · CMA Small Systems
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