I have known Dr Alhaji Abubakari Sidick Ahmed since the early years of the turn of the millennium, when, as a young undergraduate student at the University of Ghana, my elder brother literally took me by hand to Radio Univers to look for an opportunity for me to volunteer as a student journalist.

Together with people like Mr Francis Ankrah, popularly known as Sankara, Alhaji was one of those who introduced some of us to what I could term our early stints or exposure to journalism.  

Radio Univers was home to some of us because of the conducive atmosphere people like Alhaji created for us to experiment, learn and even master the art of journalism. Even before I could complete my undergraduate studies, I would get the opportunity to work with a commercial media outlet because of the solid foundation Radio Univers had given me. 

After pursuing other adventures, I would find myself back in the studios of Radio Univers as a graduate student of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana. Our curated mid-morning show, which was a compulsory requirement for the award of our degree, brought home real moments of nostalgia. What could be akin to a full circle moment was when I was back at the Department of Communication Studies as a member of the faculty, after venturing into academia, and my students had to use the studios for the same purpose. The joy on Alhaji’s face to see me back, not as a student volunteer, not as a master’s student, but as a faculty member, was nothing short of remarkable.  

Heightening the full circle experience was when I became part of the Radio Univers Management Board, and we had to work closely with Alhaji to shape Radio Univers into a more formidable campus media in the face of the shifts happening within the media space.

I would get to know Alhaji better for his humaneness, openness to feedback, other people’s views, and constructive criticisms; someone who never took offence and was ready to learn. 

Alhaji has also contributed to my scholarship with his invaluable insights into my collaborative research project on the extent and perceived relevance of engagements between journalism studies academics and practitioners. He was so kind with his time that he even requested me to get in touch with him again if I needed any information.

That study was recently published. I could not share the final published work with him before his passing, despite the promise I made to him. I blame my sometimes procrastination tendencies, which I now regret.

But there is a lesson in there: Life is fleeting; time waits for no man; whatever you must do, do it as if it is your last day on earth. Now, I must make sure that everyone I promised to share the article with receives it.

I also regret that I missed the opportunity to co-host his Research and Innovation Agenda programme with him as planned.

I was hoping that one day I would make good my promise to him, but alas … How wicked can death be!

About two years ago, Ahaji did something profound that has found a special place in my heart.

In that particular year, when there was a lot of media attention and pressure on a close relation of mine, Alhaji was one of the very few people who reached out with advice and encouragement. Knowing how closely related I was to the fellow, Alhaji knew how important it was to reach out to check on my well-being. 

And last year, when I co-organised the African Journalism Educators Network (AJEN) Campus Media Symposium, Alhaji submitted a paper and presented at the event.

When the event was over, this was the message Alhaji sent to me, which I still have on my phone: “Thank you, Dr., for the opportunity given us to share the little that we have. I hope we haven’t disappointed. I would be grateful to have your candid critique for improvement.” Alhaji wanted feedback for improvement from me! This is what I’m talking about. Even Alhaji sought improvement. How much more me? A word to the wise ….

Alhaji was also a scholar in his own right. He has made significant contributions to media scholarship, particularly on campus media.

One of his significant works, which came in handy when I was recently working on a project, is the co-authored publication with Professor Felix Odartey-Wellington, accounting for the origins of Radio Univers, and the role it has played in Ghana’s mediascape, filling a significant gap in the academic literature. It will interest you to know that Radio Univers was the first radio station in Ghana to introduce a newspaper review programme, a concept that has gained widespread acceptance and practice, as well as the first non-State broadcaster to introduce on-air local language programming.

Alhaji can never be left out of any discussion about the development of independent (non-state/public) media in Ghana. His voice will echo forever. He will be sorely missed by the hundreds of volunteers that he trained and mentored, the thousands of students, the University of Ghana community, the listening public, and all.

The writer is a senior lecturer of Journalism, Media and Communication Studies at Durban University of Technology, South Africa.