People exploited Lumba’s name for deals – ET Akonor
WHILE Daddy Lumba, the revered Highlife legend who died recently, has long been celebrated for his music, his legacy has not been without controversy.
Over the years, he has faced relentless character attacks, largely stemming from accusations of failing to honour contracts.
In 2015, Gospel artiste Great Ampong accused Daddy Lumba of greed when he supposedly pocketed proceeds from the launch of a joint album, Hosanna.
And even as family, fans and well-wishers poured out condolences for Daddy Lumba, CEO of Joy Industries, Manfred Takyi, declared on Facebook he would not mourn Daddy Lumba’s passing—citing an unpaid debt.
Takyi alleged that the music icon owed him money and a customised Toyota Tundra, part of an endorsement deal that went unfulfilled. He further claimed Daddy Lumba failed to appear at a Joy Industries concert in Koforidua despite receiving the endorsement package, deepening the rift between them.
However, speaking with Graphic Showbiz recently, a close friend of Daddy Lumba, ET Akonor, described as very unfair the allegations maligning the reputation and good name of his best friend.
He said many individuals around Daddy Lumba exploited his fame, making deals and contracts behind his back without his knowledge.
“Do you know that even on the day Daddy Lumba died, there were flyers of him as a headline artiste for a show in London, UK, when no member of his team was aware of it”, he explained.
“This has been happening for a while but I tried to put a stop to that when I came into the picture and started handling some of these mishaps. It’s very disheartening but today, I want to put it on record that Lumba was innocent of these accusations,” he said.
On Friday, August 1, 2025, a legal representative of Daddy Lumba, Baba Jamal and Associates, in a statement, warned individuals and operators of media outlets that publish defamatory stories about the late Highlife musician to stop or face legal suits. (Read Kumasi vigil for Daddy Lumba postponed indefinitely)
They urged those with legitimate grievances to present their claims through proper legal channels to the Fosu family, emphasising a commitment to resolving disputes amicably.
Mr ET Akonor said the statement was necessary to curb the growing assassination on the music icon’s character.
He also addressed the infamous feud between Daddy Lumba and Great Ampong over the Hosanna album.
According to Akonor, the issue began when some pledges made during the auction session at the album launch were not redeemed.
He expressed surprise that Great Ampong never contacted him to resolve the issue, despite knowing him as the executive producer.
“So the proceeds for that day, indeed, Lumba carried them away but there’s a playback of the video of that day which anybody who wants the truth can access. Ampong himself doesn’t know how much we earned on that day.”
“He knows me but he never contacted me but decided to pick a fight with my brother. And he Lumba doesn’t talk so he just ignored him,” he said.
Akonor revealed that Rev. Badu Kobi of Glorious Wave Internatiobal Church attempted to mediate between the two musicians. Although Ampong wasn't paid for his work, he stated that someone later paid him GH¢33,000 to settle the matter and protect Lumba's image. (Read From mechanic shop to close bond –Lumba’s friendship with ET)
Akonor disputed Great Ampong's claim of a verbal agreement, stating that there's rather a written agreement with a 40-30-30 split.
“It is 40-30-30. As the Executive Producer, my share was 40 per cent with the two splitting the rest. But at this stage, it’s difficult to find the agreement because Lumba kept everything,” ET Akonor said.
According to ET, the feud led to them abandoning the project; the CDs remained with Daddy Lumba and the content not uploaded to YouTube.
