The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the temporary closure of its Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day.

The mission disclosed this in a post on its official X account on Thursday, stating that both diplomatic missions will remain closed on Friday, June 19, 2026.

“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 mission said.

The closure means that routine consular and diplomatic services, including visa appointments, passport processing and other non-emergency services, will not be available during the holiday period. Normal operations are expected to resume after the observance.

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The day marks 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 signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The observance was officially recognised as a federal holiday in 2021 after it was signed into law by former President Joe Biden. Since then, federal institutions, including U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, have observed the day as a public holiday.