Africa Must Stop Burying Wisdom Alive at 60, By Comrade Mohammed Shehu

Across much of Africa, the age of 60 has been wrongly framed as a finish line. Compulsory retirement kicks in, and society quietly declares: you are now useless. This is not just unfortunate—it is a crisis of mindset.

Elsewhere, 60 is Prime Time

In other parts of the world, turning 60 marks the beginning of serious engagements, not the end.

•   Donald Trump became U.S. President at 70.
•   Xi Jinping is still leading China at 71.
•   Benjamin Netanyahu is running Israel at 75.
•   Nelson Mandela only became President of South Africa at 76.

Globally, 60+ is a period of influence, wisdom, and impact. Yet in Africa, we exile people from relevance precisely when they are most valuable.

The Root of the Problem

Why do Africans believe retirement equals irrelevance?

Colonial legacy: Retirement ages were copied from foreign bureaucracies meant for turnover, not human potential.
• Youth unemployment fears: Forcing older workers out is seen as creating space for younger ones. But replacing wisdom with inexperience does not solve unemployment.
• Cultural conditioning: Many internalize the belief that after 60, one’s only role is to rest and wait for death. This is not culture—it is mental captivity.

Burying Wisdom Alive

Every time we treat retirees as expired, we bury wisdom alive. The experience of 35+ years is sidelined instead of being redirected into think tanks, academia, mentorship programs, advisory boards, or entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, we complain of weak leadership, shallow institutions, and lack of direction. The contradiction is glaring.

A Call to Action

Retirement must mean leaving formal employment, not abandoning relevance. At 60, your body may not carry the energy of 30, but your mind is sharper, your judgment tested, and your networks matured. Africa must:
• Build post-retirement engagement platforms—advisory councils, think tanks, mentorship schemes.
• Encourage second careers in consulting, academia, farming, writing, or politics.
• Reform pension systems to empower retirees as investors, not dependents.

The Hard Truth

If you reach 60 and believe you are useless, it is not your age that has retired you—it is your mindset. Africa’s greatest tragedy is not poverty, but the waste of wisdom. Until we stop glorifying retirement as a graveyard, we will keep recycling youthful energy without experienced guidance.

Retirement is not irrelevance. It is the beginning of legacy. Nigeria must wake up…..Africa must wake up—or risk losing its wisdom before it is ever written.