Your 2025 Calendar Hack: How to Maximise Public Holidays in Nigeria

Listen, if you’re a 9-5er in Nigeria and you’re not strategically planning your leave days around public holidays, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Why use five days of annual leave when you can get nine consecutive days off? It’s not about working the system, it’s about working smart.

Let’s break down exactly how to maximise every single public holiday in 2025 so you can get the most rest, travel time, and life balance without burning through your precious annual leave allocation.

Easter Weekend: The Perfect Long Break

Public Holidays: Good Friday (April 18) & Easter Monday (April 21)

Best Strategy: Take Tuesday 22nd – Friday 25th off

• Use: 4 leave days
• Get: 11 consecutive days off (April 18-28)
• Perfect for: International travel or a proper staycation

Easter falls perfectly mid-week, giving you natural bookends to create an extended break without using too many leave days.

Eid-el-Kabir: The Golden Opportunity

Public Holidays: Friday, June 6 & Monday, June 9

This is arguably the best setup of the year because Democracy Day falls on June 12th, just three days later.

Best Strategy: Take Tuesday 10th – Thursday 12th off

• Use: 3 leave days
• Get: 9 consecutive days off (June 6-14, including Democracy Day)
• Perfect for: A solid week-plus getaway without depleting your leave days

Alternative: Take the entire week (June 2-5) off

• Use: 4 leave days
• Get: 11 consecutive days off (June 2-12)

The natural clustering of Eid-el-Kabir and Democracy Day creates a ready-made extended break.

December: The Ultimate Year-End Strategy

Public Holidays: Christmas Day (Thursday, Dec 25) & Boxing Day (Friday, Dec 26)

Strategy 1: Take Monday 22nd – Wednesday 24th off

• Use: 3 leave days
• Get: 9 consecutive days off (Dec 20-28)

Strategy 2: Go all in – Take Dec 22-24 & Dec 29-31 off

• Use: 6 leave days
• Get: 16 consecutive days off (Dec 20 – Jan 4, 2026)
• Perfect for: Complete year-end shutdown

Christmas falling on Thursday and Friday gives you a natural long weekend. Adding a few strategic days turns it into a proper holiday.

Workers’ Day Long Weekend

Public Holiday: Thursday, May 1

Strategy: Take Friday, May 2nd off

• Use: 1 leave day
• Get: 4 consecutive days off (May 1-4)

Sometimes you don’t need a full week—just a proper long weekend to recharge.

Independence Day & Eidul-Mawlid Mini-Breaks

Independence Day: Wednesday, October 1 Eidul-Mawlid: Friday, September 5

For both holidays, taking 2-4 strategic days can give you 5-9 consecutive days off. Independence Day works well if you take Thursday-Friday off, whilst Eidul-Mawlid’s Friday placement makes it perfect for extending into the following week.

The Annual Leave Budget Example

Let’s say you have 21 annual leave days. Here’s a strategic allocation:

• Easter break: 4 days – 11 days off
• Eid-el-Kabir and Democracy Day: 3 days – 9 days off
• December holidays: 6 days – 16 days off
• Random long weekends: 8 days

Total: 21 days used, but you get 36+ consecutive days off across major breaks, plus additional long weekends.

Pro Tips

• Book Early – Put in leave requests immediately once you’ve identified strategic dates
• Check Company Calendar – Some companies have blackout periods
• Coordinate with Your Team – Ensure coverage is sorted
• Keep Days in Reserve – Don’t allocate everything at once
• Consider Off-Peak Travel – Book flights and accommodation early or choose less popular destinations

Important Note: Islamic holidays (Eid-el-Fitri, Eid-el-Kabir, and Eidul-Mawlid) are based on lunar cycles and may shift by a day or two depending on moon sighting. Always confirm the exact dates closer to the time before finalising your leave requests.