2025: Stocks and Flows

For so long, I looked forward to 2025, not only because it finally felt like a distant escape from the pandemic that stretched across half a decade, but also because it marked the year I would celebrate my 40th birthday. Early in January, I booked the iconic Monarch Event Center, ready to celebrate life with friends and family. What a time we had in September. All efforts were to aggregate on the glorious day tucked in royalty, gratitude, warmth, fun, and joy.

But not long after, it felt like a pack of cards crashing down. Our Country Director moved on to new opportunities, a partner we had pursued funding with suddenly walked away, and a family health scare weighed heavily on my heart. Added to that were quiet disappointments and betrayals that stung in unexpected ways. For a while, life seemed to exist in two dimensions — joy and anxiety, hope and uncertainty. Still, I pressed on. Slowly, things began to settle back into place. The fears eased. Strength returned. And we continued forward.

My reflections this year were profoundly shaped by a teaching at my church on Colossians 1:23. The Amplified translation highlighted two words that stayed with me: well-grounded and steadfast. They echo the idea of depth and width, stock and flow. In accounting terms, stock represents what we hold, and flow represents what continues to move. In life, that means remaining grounded in our convictions while also staying open, curious, and willing to grow.

Some skills and values become muscle memory, but we must also keep working so we never lose our sense of wonder. That is what I believe God is calling us to: to stay strong in our values while continuing to reach for new knowledge. This is the posture I want to carry into the years ahead.

My 40th birthday captured much of this feeling. Surrounded by friends and family in Nigeria, we shared laughter, gratitude, and celebration. It remains both frozen in memory and fresh in my heart. My family (stock) was all around me with great delight and excitement for a fantastic life, and I could not run away from fleeting acquaintances who graced the day, far and near.

The year also rattled with shockwaves — the dismantling of USAID triggered tectonic shifts in the philanthropic space. It wasn't very comforting, mainly because we had committed much of our reserves to new buildings in Abuja and Lagos. For a moment, it felt like swimming uncovered, exposed to the currents. But we rallied, opened new fronts, learned, adjusted, and began building a stronger foundation again.

Though I turned 40 in September, I see these last three months as the overflow of my thirties. For me, 2026 marks the true beginning of the forties. I find myself asking new questions about diversified flows, fatherhood, structured finances, and the habits that should compound over the next decade. Honestly, 40s is not about chasing the treadmill but about truly building things that compound. I am slowly accepting that the forties are a season to anchor family, deepen roots, and design a whole life of intention and ease. This may be why people say life begins at 40. Because by our fifties, we tend to live more from our stocks than our flows.

I want to stay well grounded in the values that shaped me: integrity, faith, service, curiosity, and love. At the same time, I want to remain steadfast in seeking new knowledge, fresh experiences, bold ideas, and adventures that stretch the edges of what feels comfortable.

And so, as I look back, I am filled not with fear, but with gratitude. Gratitude for friends and family who stood close. Gratitude for colleagues who showed resilience. Gratitude for lessons that refined rather than crushed. Gratitude for the moments when my worst fears came to nothing. Above all, gratitude to God, whose quiet encouragement runs beneath every season. This is the gift of this season: to hold fast to what matters most, while still stepping forward into what is possible. With faith, gratitude, and renewed courage, we go again.

Awards

All the Glory: God has been faithful to me; 2025 started on a shaky note, but it ended in glory!

Friend of the Year: Ayoku Sowunmi (Kuku). I have known Kuku for over two decades, but we got much closer in 2024, when he chose to adopt a self-imposed title as my “Chief of Staff”—an excellent reminder of things often forgotten, and also ready to be of help to any length.

New Friend of the Year: Rajbir Kaur. Rajbir is a good friend I met at Johns Hopkins University while pursuing my Doctorate Program. Being an Indian tossed in the US in these uncertain times, it is a blessing to hear from her, quieten her fears, and listen to her giggles.

Book of the Year: I read fewer books this year, but let this be my tribute to The Economist magazine. I am a weekly subscriber with a print copy delivered to my mailbox.

Tweep of the Year: @eta_habyb — I really like his elucidation of economic and finance issues, especially around Nigeria. As someone interested in new ideas in the space, I find his thoughts and mash-up fascinating. In fact, he dropped an idea that created a pipeline culminating in a first reading in the National Assembly.

Person of the Year: Yemi Cardoso. The hurried economic reforms of the President, lacking proper conceptualisation and broad engagement, have had a crushing effect on ordinary Nigerians. The flicker of hope lies with the Central Bank under Cardoso’s leadership, which has begun to refocus on its core mandate of monetary stability. I hope he holds firm, because the political headwinds ahead will be strong.

Happiest Moment of the Year: My 40th birthday celebration was not just a day; it was an experience. From the visit to people living with disabilities to the private praise session at home, the football match (BudgIT vs Friends), the night parties, to the grand celebration, I really had a great time with friends and family.

Saddest day of the Year: Yet to figure it out, but losses here and there truly grieve the soul. We pray for long days, but our times here are numbered.

Song of the Year: E ti to bi by EmmaohmyGod, Pelumi Deborah, and BBO. Everything about the music was perfect. Everything was so lifting.