‘Don’t spend a kobo on a gift for me,’ Shettima shares lessons at 60

Shettima shares life lesson at 60, says don’t spend a kobo on a gift for me

Vice President Kashim Shettima has asked “Nigerians, friends, supporters and associates not to spend money on gifts or celebrations for his 60th birthday, urging them instead to channel such resources to charities, causes or people in need across the country.”

Shettima, who turns 60 on Wednesday, made the appeal in a statement posted on his X account on Tuesday night, saying he was “even more resolute” about his longstanding request as he reached the milestone age.

“Over the years, I have been deeply humbled by the affection, prayers and goodwill that have accompanied my birthdays.

“Such occasions leave one grateful for the friendships, fellowships and bonds accumulated across the years,” he said.

“Yet there is one appeal I have consistently made to my friends, supporters, well-wishers, associates and admirers, far and near: please do not spend a kobo on a gift for me, nor undertake any venture of material consequence in my honour.”

The Vice President said turning 60 had reinforced his view that the occasion should be marked through generosity rather than material celebrations.

“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.

“It is an age that asks fewer questions about what one has gathered and far more searching questions about what one has contributed,” Shettima said.

He therefore appealed to those wishing to celebrate him to redirect whatever they intended to spend on his birthday to people or causes that needed support.

“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.

Shettima said acts of kindness, regardless of their size, could make a difference to 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.

“Sometimes the smallest kindness arrives at precisely the moment another person needs to be reminded that humanity has not forgotten them. For me, such an act is among the most eloquent prayers anyone can offer on my behalf,” the vice president stated.

Reflecting on his journey to 60, the Vice President said individuals benefited from the support of others and had a responsibility to extend the same kindness to those who might never be able to repay them.

“None of us arrives at sixty, or indeed at any meaningful station in life, entirely by our own strength. We are all beneficiaries of the kindness of family, friends, teachers, colleagues, supporters, well-wishers and, sometimes, strangers who had nothing to gain from extending a hand to us.

“It is only fitting that we repay such debts in the currency in which they were incurred: by extending kindness to those who may never be in a position to repay us,” he added.

Shettima also asked Nigerians to make prayer, rather than gifts and advertisements, the focus of his birthday.

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

He specifically asked Nigerians to pray for peace, prosperity and good governance, while highlighting the country’s population and diversity as national assets.

“Pray for the peace of our communities, the prosperity of our people, the wisdom of our leaders and the fulfilment of the immense promise of this nation,” Shettima said.

“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 added, “Our diversity is a vast inheritance, our cultures are reservoirs of strength, and our capacity to find fellowship across difference is one of the enduring beauties of the Nigerian spirit.”

Shettima thanked Nigerians for their support and goodwill over the years, wishing them “long life, good health, fulfilment in all that is noble, and the quiet joy of being useful to someone who may never be able to repay you.”