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.”
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.
“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.
“But, my PM said that day, they saw life jackets there and took them. He even told the late Friday to send one to Junior Pope, but Junior Pope said it was dirty, so, he didn’t take it.
“The people who wore life jackets survived. They also told me that when they were in the water trying to survive, Junior Pope was also there, asking if everybody was okay. They even threw a gallon to him to hold onto, which he did. But, all of a sudden, they did not see him again.”
Breaking into tears, Luke added that she considered the people who lost their lives in the unfortunate boat mishap to be her family, and they usually came all the way to Lagos to shoot with her.
She said, “This was my first time of working with JP. He and his wife are my friends. I talked to the wife sometime, and that was when she said, ‘Why aren’t you giving my husband work’? JP also said, ‘Ada, you are my friend, why don’t you call me for jobs’?
“I told JP he mainly acts action films, and I hardly produce that. He then said he also acts in love films too.”
Luke added that she was traumatised that the accident happened on the journey from her set.
“I have been so traumatised. I have been so cold. This whole thing still feels like a dream to me. It is so sad that this happened on my set. I blame myself; that I would have been in Lagos doing my thing. I blame myself for coming down to Asaba.
“I still can’t believe this. Those crew members were my family. They have been working with me. If I am working in Lagos, they would come from Asaba to join me.”
Meanwhile, the Anambra Police Command announced that they had arrested the two operators aboard the ill-fated boat.
The state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Saturday.
He stated that the boat operators were in police custody, adding that the producer of the movie, Adanma Luke, had voluntarily made herself available to the police.
He further revealed that other members of the cast and crew of the movie would be invited for questioning.
Ikenga said, “Yes, the boat operators have been arrested. Even the producer of the movie, Adanma Luke’s statement was taken and interrogation is ongoing.
“Other members of the cast and crew of the movie would be invited for questioning.”
He added that nothing would be swept under the carpet as regards the investigation of the accident.
