The River Niger is fast gaining notoriety for its recurring flooding and rising boat accidents in the past few months, leading to several deaths and widespread damage nationwide.
It once again caught many attention following the tragic death of popular Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, who died in a boat accident on the river on Wednesday, April 10th.
Worth mentioning, before actor Junior Pope died on Wednesday afternoon during a boat trip for a film production, President Bola Tinubu had pledged to embark on a routine dredging of the River Niger.
Also, in a recent development, the Senate announced that the dredging of River Niger has been captured in the 2024 appropriation bill to combat the recurring flooding and its effects.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, confirmed to Channels Television that the remains of actor Junior Pope have been deposited at the morgue.
He also confirmed that the remains of a crew member were recovered from the River Niger while the bodies of three other crew members were yet to be recovered as they were five in the boat which capsized after colliding with another boat.
Less than 24 hours ago, the actor put up a video of himself in a speed boat with no life jacket on with the caption: “See me lamenting the risk we take to entertain you, crossing river 9ja yesterday with no life jacket…who does that?”.
Rollas took to his instagram page on Thursday to disclose the sad development as he wrote, “It is so so sad that our joy was shortlived.
“My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail.
“God knows the best. We finally lost him,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) yesteady declared Thursday as ‘No Shoot Day’ for all Nollywood filmmakers, following the death of actor Junior Pope and three other crew members who died in a boat accident on Anam River in Anambra State on Wednesday.
Emeka Rollas, National President of AGN, in a statement on Thursday said that this happened on a movie set titled ‘The other side of Life’ produced by Adamma Luke.
“Following the tragic incident of a boat mishap that claimed the life of Junior Pope and three other crew members at waterside of River Niger Cable point Asaba on 10th of April, all films that involve riverine areas and boat riding is hereby suspended indefinitely,” Rollas announced. CONTINUE READING