Dr Abubakari Sidick Ahmed, former Station Manager of Radio Univers, has passed away at the age of 63.
Popularly known as Alhaji, he died on Monday, February 16, 2026. The news was confirmed by his widow, Naziha Alhassan.
Speaking to Radio Univers, Naziha said Alhaji died at about 10:15 a.m. at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, where he had been receiving treatment over the past few days.
For more than three decades, Alhaji dedicated his life to Radio Univers — beginning as a student journalist and rising through the ranks to become Station Manager of the University of Ghana’s non-commercial, campus-based radio station. He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving staff member in the station’s history.
His tenure was marked by discipline, mentorship, and a commitment to excellence in campus broadcasting. Beyond the confines of the university, his impact resonated across Ghana’s media landscape, where he trained and inspired generations of journalists who have gone on to distinguish themselves nationally and internationally.
In what would become a touching and symbolic farewell, Radio Univers alumni organised a befitting dinner in his honour on June 6, 2025 — just two days after his birthday — to celebrate his decades of service.
The event brought together prominent personalities, including Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, Emeritus Prof. Kwesi Yankah, Prof. Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, Prof. Kwame Karikari, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, and Supreme Court Justice Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu, alongside colleagues, alumni, and other dignitaries.
Though he formally exited active management last year, Alhaji remained a towering presence and moral compass within the Radio Univers community — ever ready with guidance, institutional memory, and a fatherly word for young broadcasters navigating the demands of the profession.
The former host of Behind the Headlines, a popular news review and analysis show, leaves behind a legacy defined not only by longevity, but by service, humility, and the many voices he helped shape.
He will be buried in accordance with Islamic traditions.
