The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has confirmed that the tragic boat accident which claimed the life of Nollywood actor Junior Pope and four others in April 2024 was caused by human error, not mechanical failure.
Speaking during a multi-modal transportation stakeholders forum held in Abuja on Thursday, NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, stated that preliminary investigations revealed the incident on the Anam River in Anambra State stemmed from a blatant disregard for safety protocols.
“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 said.
According to him, some passengers on board the ill-fated boat refused to wear life jackets that were provided, an action he described as a major contributor to the fatalities.
The NIWA boss lamented that such behavior undermines the agency’s ongoing efforts to promote safety across Nigeria’s waterways. He urged all waterway users to take personal responsibility for their safety and support NIWA’s awareness campaigns.
The forum was attended by key industry stakeholders, including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB); Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet); and CEO of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema.
Junior Pope and the others were returning from a movie shoot for the production titled Another Side of Life, produced by filmmaker Adanma, when their boat capsized near Cable Point along the River Niger in Asaba, Delta State.
NIWA has reiterated its commitment to improving safety standards and enforcing compliance on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
