What I want from my friends and supporters at 60 — VP Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has asked his friends, supporters, associates and well-wishers to shun gifts and lavish celebrations as he clocks 60, urging them instead to channel whatever resources they would have spent on him to charity and other worthy causes.

Mr Shettima made the appeal in a Facebook post on Tuesday night, ahead of his 60th birthday on Wednesday.

The Vice President said he had consistently asked his friends and supporters not to spend money on gifts or undertake any venture of material consequence in his honour on his birthdays.

He said he was even more resolute about the request as he turned 60, describing the milestone as an age that should inspire reflection, gratitude and greater commitment to giving.

“Sixty is an age at which our people expect a man to have exchanged impulse for reflection, vanity for gratitude, and the desire to accumulate for the wisdom to give,” he said.

According to him, turning 60 should prompt deeper questions about an individual’s contribution to society rather than what he has accumulated.

“I therefore appeal once again to everyone who wishes me well not to spend money marking my day, but to channel whatever resources they may have intended for such gestures to a charity, cause or person of their choice anywhere in our country,” he said.

Mr Shettima said acts of kindness, regardless of their size, could make a significant difference in the lives of people in need.

“A nation is ennobled by the care it extends to those who need the strength of others. Our means may differ, but generosity is not measured only by the size of what we give,” he said.

The Vice President added that he regarded every act of kindness extended to another Nigerian as a prayer on his behalf.

“For me, such an act is among the most eloquent prayers anyone can offer on my behalf,” he said.

Reflecting on his journey to 60, Mr Shettima said no one reaches a significant stage in life solely through personal effort, acknowledging the contributions of family, friends, teachers, colleagues, supporters, well-wishers and even strangers.

He urged Nigerians to repay such acts of kindness by helping people who may never be in a position to reciprocate.

“Every hand that lifts another somewhere in Nigeria tomorrow will be a candle lit for me,” he said.

The Vice President said what he wanted in place of birthday advertisements, gifts and celebrations was prayers for him and the country.

“What I ask for, in place of advertisements, gifts and celebrations, is prayer. Pray for me, and pray for Nigeria,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to pray for peace in their communities, prosperity for the people, wisdom for leaders and the fulfilment of Nigeria’s potential.

Mr Shettima also highlighted what he described as Nigeria’s major strengths, including its industrious population, entrepreneurial spirit, youthful population, cultural diversity and capacity to foster fellowship across differences.

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“Ours is a country blessed with an industrious people, an extraordinary instinct for enterprise, a generosity that travels easily across family and community, and a youthful population whose imagination, talent and ambition remain among our greatest national assets,” he said.

The Vice President thanked his friends, supporters and well-wishers for the affection, loyalty and prayers they had shown him over the years.

He wished Nigerians long life, good health and fulfilment, urging them to embrace the “quiet joy of being useful to someone who may never be able to repay you.”

Mr Shettima, who served as governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019, was sworn in as Vice President alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 29 May 2023.