Vice President Kashim Shettima has said attaining the age of 60 has reinforced his conviction that the true measure of life lies not in what a person accumulates, but in what he or she contributes to humanity.

Shettima, who marked his 60th birthday on Wednesday September 2nd, said the milestone had brought him to a point of deeper reflection about the purpose of life, service and the responsibility to give back to society.

In a message posted on his verified X handle @officialSKM on the eve of his birthday, the Vice President urged friends, supporters, associates and admirers not to spend money on gifts, advertisements or elaborate celebrations in his honour.

Instead, he appealed to them to use whatever resources they intended to spend on him to support charities, worthy causes and Nigerians in need.

“Tomorrow, by the grace of God, I turn sixty,” Shettima said, describing his message as a reminder and a request before the goodwill associated with his birthday began to pour in.

The Vice President said turning 60 had changed the questions he considered important in life, stressing that the age called for reflection rather than impulse, gratitude rather than vanity and giving rather than accumulation.

“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,” he said.

“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 it was against this backdrop that he renewed his appeal for Nigerians not to spend “a kobo” on birthday gifts or other material gestures for him.

“Please do not spend a kobo on a gift for me, nor undertake any venture of material consequence in my honour,” he appealed.

“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.”

The Vice President said a society was strengthened by the compassion its citizens showed towards those in need, noting that generosity was not necessarily about wealth or the size of a donation.

“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.

“Sometimes the smallest kindness arrives at precisely the moment another person needs to be reminded that humanity has not forgotten them.”

For Shettima, he said, such acts of kindness would represent the most meaningful birthday gifts anyone could offer him.

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

Reflecting on the journey to the milestone age, Shettima said nobody reaches a meaningful stage in life entirely through personal efforts, acknowledging the role of family, friends, teachers, colleagues, supporters and even strangers.

“None of us arrives at sixty, or indeed at any meaningful station in life, entirely by our own strength,” he said.

“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.”

He said the proper way to repay such kindness was by extending a helping hand to others, particularly those who might never be able to reciprocate.

“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,” Shettima said.

In a symbolic call for Nigerians to turn his birthday into a day of compassion, the Vice President declared: “Every hand that lifts another somewhere in Nigeria tomorrow will be a candle lit for me.”

Shettima also requested prayers for himself and Nigeria, saying he preferred them to expensive advertisements, gifts and celebrations.

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

“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.”

The Vice President expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, pointing to the country’s industrious population, entrepreneurial spirit and youthful demographic as critical national assets.

“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.

As he entered a new decade of his life, Shettima urged Nigerians to embrace the fulfilment that comes from being useful to others.

“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,” he said. (The Sun)