Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians and well-wishers to forgo birthday gifts, advertisements and lavish celebrations as he turns 60, asking instead that any money set aside for such gestures be donated to charity.
In a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, ahead of his birthday on Wednesday, September 2, Shettima said clocking 60 had only deepened his resolve to steer people away from material celebrations in his honour. Born in Maiduguri, Borno State, on September 2, 1966, he described the age as one where a man ought to trade impulse for reflection and the urge to accumulate for the wisdom to give — a stage in life defined less by what one has gathered than by what one has contributed.
He said he has, over the years, consistently asked friends, supporters and admirers not to spend money on gifts or embark on any costly gesture in his honour, and appealed again this year that such resources go instead to charities, causes or individuals in need anywhere in Nigeria.
Generosity, he added, isn’t measured by size — even a modest act of kindness can remind someone struggling that they haven’t been forgotten, which he considers among the most meaningful prayers anyone could offer him.
Shettima also reflected on the people who shaped his journey — family, teachers, colleagues and even strangers — stressing that no one reaches such a milestone by personal effort alone, and that such debts are best repaid by extending kindness to others.
In place of gifts and celebrations, he asked for prayers — for himself and for Nigeria: for peace in communities, prosperity for the people, wisdom for leaders, and the fulfilment of the nation’s potential. He pointed to Nigeria’s youthful population, entrepreneurial drive, cultural diversity and communal spirit as among the country’s greatest assets, and thanked Nigerians for the loyalty and goodwill shown him throughout his public life.
Shettima, a former banker, was governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Borno Central in the Senate from 2019 to 2023 before becoming vice-president in 2023 alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. President Tinubu, in a birthday message, described him as a “trusted ally” and “patriot” whose public life has been marked by service and sacrifice. Shettima made a similar appeal in 2023, asking associates to donate to charity rather than place paid birthday adverts in newspapers.
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