Why Junior Pope refused to wear life jacket – Adanma Luke
The Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has commiserated with the families of actor, Pope Odonwodo, Junior Pope, and four others, who lost their lives when their boat capisized on River Niger during the week while returning from the set of a movie titled, The Other Side of Life, produced by actress and producer, Adanma Luke.
Soludo 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.”
He also 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.
He added, “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.” Punch
Meanwhile, Adanma Luke, the producer of the ill-fated movie, who had hitherto been silent since the day of the accident, in a series of videos on her Instagram page narrated her side of the story, claiming that the late Pope was offered a life jacket, but he rejected it because it was dirty.
She also revealed that she was supposed to be on the boat that capsized.
Luke further revealed that she couldn’t speak because she felt it was all a dream and hoping to be awakened from it. She added that she had been making efforts to recover the other bodies from the river and transporting 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.
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