Our reporters
As Nigerians continue to mourn the death of an actor, Pope Odonwodo, known as Junior Pope and four others, who lost their lives in a boat mishap on River Niger while returning from the set of a movie titled, The Other Side of Life, the producer of the ill-fated movie, Adanma Luke, has finally spoken following her silence on the accident.
Taking to her Instagram page, in a series of videos, she recounted her side of the story, claiming that the late Pope was offered a life jacket, but rejected it because it was dirty.
According to Luke, she could not speak about the incident because she was traumatised and felt it was all a dream that she would wake up from.
The actress revealed that she had been making efforts to recover the other bodies from the river and transport them to their families to be laid to rest.
She said, “So, on that day, while I was getting ready to go drop the memory card with the crew on set, I was accompanied by my brother’s children. We were all supposed to be on that boat together. I was supposed to be on that boat.
“My production manager was calling me to bring the memory card, so they could start filming, and I told him to come and collect it. But, he insisted that I should bring it to them.
“When I got there and I saw Emeka, my DOP, sitting quietly with people surrounding him, I started shouting, ‘What is happening? Somebody talk to me.” Emeka then said, ‘JP, Abigail, Friday, and Precious are gone. I did not understand.
“My director was saying that he didn’t know what happened. He and the DOP wore life jackets. There was still one life jacket available; I don’t know who had it.
PUNCH Healthwise had on Wednesday, April 10, reported how not wearing a life jacket tragically led to the death of five budding actors, with experts calling for proper safety measures to be enforced on waterways.
The absence of life jackets was cited as a major contributing factor to the tragedy and it sparked a nationwide conversation about safety regulations not being followed through.
Speaking on the development, A marine safety expert, Dr Taiwo Lawal noted that preventable tragedies like the Nollywood boat accident can be avoided if proper safety measures are taken, including the use of life jackets.
He explained that in cases of capsizing, life jackets can provide buoyancy and stability, which increases the chance of survival in rough waters.
According to him, tragedies like this highlight the importance of prioritising safety over entertainment and ensuring that all actors are equipped with the necessary safety gear when filming in dangerous environments.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has commiserated with the families of actors and also condoled with the Actors Guild of Nigeria, and the entire film industry over the tragic accident.
In a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, the governor lamenting the unfortunate circumstances that led to the death of ‘the talented, promising, young Nigerians’ in pursuit of their career dreams.
Soludo said, “The tragic accident brings to the fore again the importance of engaging basic safety measures in water transportation in Nigeria, most especially the procurement of life jackets, hiring of lifeguards, and administration of first aid like CPR on victims.”
The governor urged Nollywood practitioners to always comply with necessary safety precautions to save lives on riverside engagements while pledging his support for the development of the creative entertainment industry.
“The entertainment sector is complementary to well-rounded development in society, and that is why the Anambra State Government is building the ‘Solution Fun City’ in Awka, remodelling the Agulu Lake as a tourist delight, and modernising the water transportation system in the state to boost tourism and economic activities.
“We pray that the souls of the boat tragedy victims rest in peace, while their families, friends and industry colleagues find solace in their cherished memories,” he added.
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