This narrative reflects on the challenges of a student-teacher relationship that developed into a close and enduring friendship between two lecturers in the same Department in the University of Ghana. Professors George Benneh and Raymond Bagulo Bening were often mistaken for each other because of the seeming similarity and the pronunciation of their surnames and occasionally even on documents with the full name and signature of Prof. Bening. This curious identity mix-up of names has differently impacted their shared professional experiences and these are candidly recounted in this fascinating article. This article examines the political economy of academic relationships through the professional journeys of Professors George Benneh and Raymond Bagulo Bening of the University of Ghana. It explores how power relations, mentorship, and collegiality shape knowledge production and recognition within the academy. It highlights how the intellectual labour of junior scholars and students, both graduate and undergraduate, are absorbed into the reputational capital of senior colleagues. Marx’s concept of primitive accumulation and Harvey’s notion of accumulation by dispossession provide a useful framework for examining the power relations in higher educational institutions.1 The case of Benneh and Bening illustrates how a student–teacher relationship evolved into mutual collaboration, revealing both the empowering as well as the dispossessing dynamics of mentorship in academic settings. Issues of academic integrity, intellectual property rights and professional ethics emerge as central themes, prompting critical reflection on how credit, authorship, and recognition are negotiated in higher education. The article concludes by underscoring the need for equitable academic practices that balance mentorship with fair acknowledgment of intellectual contributions.