THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA ON THURSDAY CELEBRATED ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE MOSLEM CALENDAR -- THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF MOHAMMED.

THE CELEBRATIONS ARE HELD ON JUNE 30. MOHAMMED WAS BORN IN MECCA IN ABOUT 570 A.D.

NIGERIA IS A STRONGLY MOHAMMEDAN NATION. NEARLY 14-MILLION OF THE COUNTRY'S 55????-MILLION PEOPLE ARE MOSLEMS.

THE MAIN CELEBRATIONS IN THE NIGERIAN CAPITAL, LAGOS, WERE HELD IN TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, IN THE CENTRE OF THE CITY.

THEY WERE ATTENDED BY MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, MANY REPRESENTING MIDDLE EAST NATIONS WHICH ARE PREDOMINANTLY MOSLEM.