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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

‘Don’t spend a kobo on a gift for me,’ Shettima shares lessons at 60

From The Punch · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Vice President Kashim Shettima has asked Nigerians not to buy gifts or fund celebrations for his 60th birthday.
  • He urged supporters to redirect the money to charities, causes or people in need across Nigeria.
  • Shettima said reaching 60 had strengthened his belief that birthdays should emphasize generosity rather than material celebration.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has asked Nigerians, friends and supporters not to spend “a kobo” on a birthday gift for him as he turns 60. Instead, he wants any money intended for celebrations redirected to charities, worthy causes or people in need across Nigeria.

Shettima made the appeal in a statement posted on X on Tuesday night, saying he had become “even more resolute” in a request he had made repeatedly over the years. He said birthdays had brought him affection, prayers and goodwill, leaving him grateful for the friendships and bonds built throughout his life.

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

— Kashim ShettimaThe vice president asked supporters to avoid material birthday celebrations.

But he said he did not want supporters to buy gifts or undertake anything of material consequence in his honour. Turning 60, he added, had reinforced his view that the milestone should be marked through generosity rather than material celebrations.

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.

— Kashim ShettimaShettima explained why he wanted his 60th birthday marked through generosity.

“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,” Shettima said. He urged anyone wishing to celebrate him to support a charity, cause or individual of their choice anywhere in the country.

The vice president said kindness could help people regardless of its size. He described an act of generosity as a way of reminding someone in need that they had not been forgotten, and as one of the most meaningful prayers people could offer on his behalf. He also said no one reaches an important stage in life entirely through personal strength, because people benefit from the kindness of family, friends and teachers and should extend that kindness to others who may never be able to repay them.

A nation is ennobled by the care it extends to those who need the strength of others.

— Kashim ShettimaHe encouraged acts of kindness toward people in need.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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