What I ask for to mark my 60th birthday — VP Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has asked Nigerians to mark his 60th birthday with prayers and acts of kindness rather than gifts, advertisements or other material celebrations.

Shettima made the appeal in a statement shared on X on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, ahead of his 60th birthday on Wednesday.

The vice president urged friends, supporters, associates and well-wishers who intended to honour him to instead direct whatever money they planned to spend towards a charity, a cause or an individual in need anywhere in Nigeria.

He said reaching 60 had strengthened his resolve to discourage material celebrations around his birthday, stressing that the milestone should be a period for reflection, gratitude and consideration of what one has contributed to society.

According to him, acts of generosity towards people in need would be a meaningful way of honouring his birthday, particularly in a country where many people depend on the support and kindness of others.

Shettima also called on Nigerians to pray for him and the country, including for peace in communities, prosperity for citizens, wisdom among leaders and the realisation of Nigeria’s potential.

He described Nigeria as a country with an industrious population, strong entrepreneurial spirit and a youthful population whose talent, ambition and creativity remain important national assets.

The vice president said his journey to 60 had been shaped by the support and goodwill of family members, friends, teachers, colleagues, supporters, well-wishers and strangers.

He said he therefore considered extending kindness to others as a fitting way of reciprocating the goodwill he had received over the years.

Shettima also expressed appreciation to Nigerians for the loyalty, friendship, affection and prayers that had accompanied him throughout his life.

The statement reads, “What I Ask For at Sixty. Tomorrow, by the grace of God, I turn sixty.

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“I am aware that some of you already know this, and that this requires no announcement from me. Consider this, therefore, a reminder and, if you would permit me, a request made before the goodwill of tomorrow begins to arrive.

“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. 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.

“This year, as I turn sixty, I am even more resolute about that request. 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. 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.

“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.

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

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

“Thank you for your understanding over the years, and for the loyalty, affection, friendship and prayers that have accompanied me this far. I wish you 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.”

Born on September 2, 1966, Shettima is a former governor of Borno State and currently serves as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.