As Vice President Kashim Shettima marks his birthday, Stanley Nkwocha has reflected on his experience working closely with the Vice President, describing it as a journey that has offered profound lessons in leadership, loyalty, courage and responsibility.
In a heartfelt birthday tribute to the Vice President, Nkwocha looked beyond the titles, responsibilities and ceremonies associated with public office to celebrate the person behind the position.
“Birthdays offer us a rare opportunity to look beyond titles, responsibilities, and the demands of public office, and simply acknowledge the person,” he said.
Reflecting on his years of working with Shettima, Nkwocha said the experience had taught him lessons that could not be acquired from books alone, but only through observing a leader navigate the pressures and complexities of public service.
He noted that public office comes with immense pressure and moments when silence, retreat or convenience may appear to be the easier options. Yet, according to him, Shettima has remained grounded in his convictions, friendships and sense of duty despite the changing seasons of public life.
Nkwocha also stated what he described as the Vice President’s deeply human qualities, including his humor, intellectual curiosity, loyalty, ability to remember people, and willingness to reach out when it matters.
“Behind the office and all its ceremony, there remains a deeply human side of you – the humour, the intellectual curiosity, the loyalty to people, the capacity to remember, and the instinct to reach out when it matters,” he wrote.
For Nkwocha, some of the most important gifts a leader can give are not material. He identified trust, belonging, encouragement and the reassurance that one’s contribution matters as among the enduring gifts he has received from the Vice President.
He expressed gratitude for those qualities, stressing that public office is ultimately temporary and that positions, motorcades and headlines will eventually become part of history.
“Public office will eventually become history. Positions will change, motorcades will pass, and today’s headlines will become tomorrow’s archives,” he said.
According to him, the true measure of a life in public service is found in the people touched, the possibilities created for others and the values left behind.
Nkwocha prayed for the Vice President to enjoy many more years of good health, peace and fulfilment, while asking God to grant him wisdom for the responsibilities ahead.
He also prayed that Shettima would retain the humanity, warmth and compassion he said had characterised the Vice President’s relationship with people, irrespective of their rank or circumstances.
“My prayer for you today, Your Excellency, is therefore not merely for many more years. I pray that those years will be rich in health, peace and fulfilment; that the Almighty will continue to grant you wisdom for the burdens ahead,” he wrote.
Nkwocha further expressed the hope that the years ahead would give Shettima the opportunity to look back on his service to Nigeria with satisfaction, knowing that when responsibility was placed on his shoulders, he carried it with courage and gave his best.
Concluding the tribute, Nkwocha described Shettima as “a most detribalized Nigerian one can meet,” and wished the Vice President a happy birthday.
The message was signed by Stanley Nkwocha and Family.