What I Ask For at Sixty
Kashim Shettima
Tomorrow, by the grace of God, I turn sixty.
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.
— Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON
is the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
