By Hosanna Eseose
The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the temporary closure of its Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day.
The mission disclosed that both diplomatic offices will remain closed on Friday, June 19, 2026, as part of activities marking the U.S. federal holiday.
In a statement posted on its official X account, the mission said: “The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2026, in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day.”
The closure will affect routine consular and diplomatic services, including visa appointments, passport services and other non-emergency operations during the holiday period.
Normal services are expected to resume after the observance.
Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The day marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans of their freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
The observance became an official federal holiday in the United States in 2021 following the signing of legislation by then-President Joe Biden.
Since then, U.S. government offices, including embassies and consulates around the world, have observed the day as a public holiday.