Junior Pope: Delta govt bans water trip without safety gadgets

Delta State Government has placed a ban on journeys on water for Nollywood actors to carry out their creative talents without putting on life jackets and ensuring other safety measures.

This was contained in a condolence message on Monday by the Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Nnamdi Ijeh, to the families of Junior Pope and other Nollywood actors who lost their lives in the ill-fated boat mishap on the River Niger last week.

The commissioner, in the letter dated April 11, 2024, conveyed the sympathies of the Delta State Government and the creative family in the state in the incident which occurred on April 10.

Ijeh stated: “On behalf of the Delta State Government, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the entire creative family in the state, I sympathise with the families of those who lost their lives in the process of expressing their creative talent on their way from the location of shooting a movie on April 10, 2024, and the entire Nollywood family.

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“It is with a heavy heart that I want you to know that we share in your pain. At the time the news got to us, we arrived at the scene and discovered that the few ones who were saved from the boat mishap were on life jackets.

“It is therefore very expedient that, at this time of grief, to say that henceforth, such journeys should not be embarked upon without life jackets, expert divers and other safety precautions.

“The Delta State Government takes the life of every citizen as a priority and therefore warns against water journeys without the required safety gadgets, especially those within the entertainment industry.”

In the letter copied to the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Dr Emeka Rollas, the commissioner also prayed for the repose of the departed souls.

The Star