“Come over to my office at exactly 6:07 a.m. for a discussion on your thesis.”
That was not a suggestion, it was a test.
Arrive at 6:10 a.m., and you would be met with piercing disappointment:
“Are you a serious candidate? I gave you seven minutes after six o’clock, and you are already three minutes late. You are not time-conscious. Go and return in a fortnight same time.”
But arrive early say, exactly 6:00 a.m. and you would still not pass. A knock at the door would be met with his firm, unmistakable voice:
“Yees, come in… My friend, it is not yet time. Leave my office and return at the agreed time.”
That was Dr. Kojo Opoku Aidoo a man of precision, principle, and purpose.
If you walked into his office unprepared unable to initiate scholarly discussion or situate your work within reviewed literature you would quietly be dismissed and sent back to do the real work. He did not tolerate intellectual laziness. He demanded excellence. And he got it.
This was the secret behind his legacy:
His students did not just complete their PhDs they defended them with authority.
I vividly recall Thursday, August 14, 2025 the day of my oral defence (Viva) scheduled for 1:00 p.m. I met him that morning. Calm as ever, he looked at me and said:
“Don’t be nervous. Go with ‘takashie’ and kill it for me. I wish you all the best.”
That was his way simple words, but deeply empowering.
To another of his students, Dr Harrison Kofi Belley, during his Viva in November 2021, he remarked:
“Why are you in a dark shirt on such an important day? You should be in white you will sail through.”
Even in the smallest details, he spoke confidence into his students.
Beyond the lecture room and office walls, he was warm, human, and full of life. On his birthday last year, I, together with Dr David Agbey, visited his residence to celebrate him. There, we met Pastor Richard, Kweku Darko Ankrah, and a circle of friends. It was laughter, fellowship, and joy.
I will never forget the simple but cherished moments sharing pizza and fruit juice after intense thesis reviews. Nor will I forget how Dr. Belley would bring him abolo, lobsters, and fried fingerlings all the way from Ho in the Volta Region. These were not just meals; they were symbols of respect, gratitude, and deep connection.
Today, however, the vibrancy, discipline, and intellectual fire of this great man are no more.
Prof as I fondly called him we, your proud products from the College of Humanities, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, carry your imprint forever. You shaped not only our academic journeys but our character, our discipline, and our pursuit of excellence.
Though you are no longer with us, you live on—in every thesis defended, every lecture delivered, and every standard upheld.
Nante yie, Prof.
Damerifa Due! Due ne amanehunu!
