Shettima seeks prayers for Nigeria as he turns 60

Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has made a passionate appeal to friends, associates, and well-wishers across the country to pray for him and the country as he turns 60.

The Vice President appeal that well-wishers refrain from placing paid birthday advertisements or purchasing gifts in his honour as he clocks 60.

Instead, the nation’s number two citizen asked Nigerians to channel their resources toward supporting charities, vulnerable citizens, and community development, while offering fervent prayers for Nigeria’s peace and economic renewal.

Shettima made the appeal in a reflective personal statement titled “What I Ask For at Sixty,” shared on Tuesday ahead of his diamond jubilee milestone.

Reflecting on the significance of reaching six decades of life, the Vice President stated that the age represents a transition from ambition to introspection, noting that a life of service should be measured by impact rather than personal accumulation.

“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 wrote.

Reaffirming his long-standing aversion to lavish birthday displays, the Vice President urged supporters to redirect their planned expenditures toward uplifting the underprivileged in their immediate communities.

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

He maintained that true national greatness is rooted in collective empathy, asserting that extending support to those in need remains the highest honour anyone could bestow upon him on his special day.

Calling for national solidarity, Shettima asked Nigerians to intercede for the country, its leaders, and its institutions, highlighting the resilience, ingenuity, and enterprise of the populace as the driving forces behind the nation’s promise.

“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,” the Vice President wrote.