Tourism Minister Never Queried Me Over Padiki Exhibition – Special Assistant Debunks Derrick Manny’s Claims

Ghana’s Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts’ Special Assistant, Richardson Commey Fio, has dismissed claims made by entertainment pundit Derrick Manny that the Minister questioned him over the inclusion of the late artist Padiki’s exhibition during the Reparations Conference held in Accra.

Speaking during a recent appearance on Kessben FM, Derrick Manny alleged that the Minister had queried Mr. Fio after seeing Padiki’s exhibition at the reparations programme, suggesting there were concerns over the display.

However, in a detailed response shared with a source at Kpdonline.net,Mr. Fio described the claim as entirely false, insisting that no such conversation ever took place.

According to him, he served on the planning committee for the Reparations Conference and has firsthand knowledge of how the event was organised.

“First of all, it is never true that the Minister queried or questioned me about Padiki’s exhibition as part of the Reparations Conference at Kempinski,” he stated.

Mr. Fio explained that the exhibition was not the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts but was independently handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“I was a member of the planning committee of the conference and I can tell you with authority that the exhibition was never assigned to the Ministry, so why would the Minister have an issue with me or anyone when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to engage an artist on their own terms?” he wrote.

He further clarified that the exhibition did not form part of his official report to the Minister, making it impossible for any discussion or query to have arisen on the matter.

“Exhibition was never part of my official report to the Hon. Minister and so no conversation ever took place on that subject. That assertion by Derrick Manny is false and must be treated as such,” he stressed.

Mr. Fio also defended the Minister’s commitment to Ghana’s creative industry, saying she has consistently demonstrated support for artists and cultural practitioners across the country.

“The Honourable Minister has been very passionate about promoting creatives in this country and continues to do so without discrimination,” he added.

His statement comes in response to Derrick Manny’s comments on Kessben FM and seeks to set the record straight regarding the Minister’s involvement in the exhibition featuring the late Padiki during the Reparations Conference.