Not a Farewell
a lot of gratitude
This is the most personal, and certainly the most difficult thing I have ever tried to write. This publication has been on a self-imposed hiatus for nine months. Paid subscriptions have been paused for over a year. Despite that, new subscribers keep signing up, and I believe it is time for some closure. Building this publication for the last six years has been a rollercoaster experience, with many highs and lows. I regret to announce that there will be no new podcast episodes or writings on this publication going forward. The decision to shut down is hard, but also one that is necessary.
When we started six years ago, there were hardly any podcasts covering development policy or trying to answer some of the big questions we tackle with our guests. The landscape today has changed, and we believe we contributed to that growth. But there are two main reasons why we are shutting down. The first is that producing a podcast is hard and costly. Every episode takes many more hours of research and resources, which comes at the cost of other things in our lives. We did not believe that finding creative revenue models would be a good fit for the content, tone, and spirit of the podcast. The second reason is that I started another publication with Feyi Fawehinmi (1914 Reader), which intersects with a lot of the work I do here and continuing just feels like needless duplication. Folks who like what we do here can catch up with that publication, including the podcast Frontier Matters. With that said, this domain will remain accessible for you to revisit many of the podcast episodes you love. We will announce a new home soon for the over 130 podcast episodes and essays in our archives. The overwhelming feeling I have in this moment is gratitude - to every single one of you. There will be a time in the future to tell a detailed history of the work we did in the last six years. But I am immensely grateful to every single person who has supported the work we did.
Special thanks to my incredible producer and editor, Aderonke Bankole. Nothing we did would have been possible without you. Abubakar Suleiman was a believer and a supporter of the vision from day one. I always joked to him that I regard him as a cofounder of Ideas Untrapped - it was not a joke. To Affiong Williams (our first podcast guest), Adedayo Bakare, and Seun Smith (my guanxi) - you guys are the best and thank you for choosing me. Akin Oyebode was one of our early guests, and he had to put up with an idiosyncratic recording process while also trying to catch a flight. Feyi Fawehinmi was the first person I told about starting a podcast; it is no accident that we are where we are today. Teslim Bello was incredibly supportive; he made sure I sounded better to your ears. Andrew Nevin was a guest who became a friend of the house and one of our greatest cheerleaders. Timi Soleye is always up for a crazy ride through his brilliantly eccentric mind. I am glad we eventually put some great things on wax. Emmanuel Era is always the first to read, listen, promote, and debate. Chris and Hannah are kindred spirits who always put in a good word. You guys are awesome. David Nash and Oliver Hanney (Voxdev) always promoted our work. To everyone I forgot to mention, please forgive me, and believe me when I say you are all important as well.
To my guests who make me sound smarter than I am, and who made the time to talk to a random guy in Lagos, my gratitude is indefinitely extensible. Ricardo Hausmann did two separate recordings over a bad connection. Lant Pritchett spent four hours talking to me despite a lunch date with his wife. Stefan Dercon made the time despite self-isolating from COVID in Belgium. Oliver Beige is the smartest person I know. Samo Burja was my first international guest. Pritish Behuria managed to be so chill and brilliant at the same time. Garett Jones steelmanned my crooked wonkishness. Andrew Alli was typically elusive, but I finally got him. Jishnu Das and James Habyarimana made me a part of one of the best conversations in my life. Alain Bertaud was already waiting ahead of the scheduled time. I do not think I have heard Derek Lowe on any other podcast. David Pilling, Ahktar Mahmood, Rasheed Griffiths, Meredith Startz, Shelby Grossman, Ayisa Osori, Elohor Omame, Efosa Ojomo, Ang Yuen Yuen, Sugandha Srivastav, Taibat Lawanson, Ray Fisman, Oliver Kim, Tiago Santos, Portia Roeloffs, Karthik Sankaran, Robert Frank, Nonso Obikili, Jesmin Rahman, Oliver Harman, Mark Lutter, Kurtis Lockhart, Tinashe Murapata, Vincent Geloso, David Roodman, Black Bandit (wherever you are). To those I fail to mention, please know that I am writing this from memory, sleep-deprived, at 5 a.m. I have felt undeserving of your time, and I can only say thank you for thinking more of me.
Finally, to the audience from everywhere you have been listening, retweeting, and sending feedback. I want you to know everything we did was for you. I hope it has been worthwhile. Thank you
Ideas Untrapped, I loved you with all my tiny little heart 🥹. You were the ray of intellectual sunshine in an otherwise bleak world of Buhari. I watched Nigeria closed its borders to its neighbours, inflation ravage people's non-existent saving (food inflation, in particular). Bad polices wiped off 50% of the country's GDP. I watched Nigeria become the poverty capital of the world. Kidnapping and banditry became a business model. All of these before covid. And then covid. Our generation is perhaps the unluckiest in the history of the country. It's no surprise many decided to leave. My heart bleeds for those who were forced to say goodbye to their loved ones. And to those who had to leave in a hurry, hush hush, no goodbyes.
Ideas Untrapped. You were an inspiration. We had no power but you gave us a voice. Call me biased but I still judge many others by you. If there was a do-over, I'll certainly do you.
Nigeria is still in an 'idea trap', so the work never stops. I hope someday, we find the 'elite consensus', in the words of Stefan Dercon, to move the country to a different equilibrium.
A very big thank you to those who supported the project. And most of all, to our guests and listeners - you're the real MVPs, wonking yourselves out on these episodes.😂 ❤️🙏
Ah Tobi! I'll miss Ideas Untrapped, but glad to hear you are continuing with 1914 Reader which I've really been enjoying. Thanks for all of your hard work on this amazing public good over the years!