Junior Pope
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has officially attributed the tragic death of Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, and four others in a 2024 boat accident to human error, rather than any mechanical or environmental failure.
Speaking at a multi-modal transportation stakeholders’ forum held in Abuja, the Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji, stated that the unfortunate incident on the Anam River in Anambra State was the result of passengers’ disregard for established safety regulations.
“It was not mechanical failure, not impediments in the water or weather challenges, but purely a flagrant disregard for rules and regulations guiding movement on the inland waterways,” Oyebamiji explained.
He revealed that some of the passengers on board had rejected life jackets offered to them before the journey commenced. This negligent decision, he said, contributed significantly to the fatalities recorded during the mishap.
Junior Pope, a well-known figure in the Nigerian film industry, was among those who drowned while returning from the set of the movie Another Side of Life, produced by Adanma. The boat capsized near Cable Point along the River Niger waterside in Asaba, Delta State, in April 2024.
Oyebamiji used the occasion to urge all waterway users to prioritise safety and cooperate with NIWA’s efforts to raise awareness and enforce compliance with regulations. “Such actions by passengers undermine our collective responsibility to ensure safety on our inland waterways,” he added.
The forum, which brought together key stakeholders in the transport and aviation sectors, was also attended by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; the Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau; the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency; and the CEO of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema.