NIWA Blames Human Error For Boat Mishap That Killed Junior Pope

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has attributed the tragic boat accident that claimed the life of Nollywood actor Junior Pope and four others on the Anam River in Anambra State in 2024 to human error, not mechanical failure.

NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, made this known on Thursday during a multi-modal transportation stakeholders forum held in Abuja.

According to him, some of the victims had declined to wear life jackets offered to them before the accident occurred.

“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 stated.

He described such disregard as a major setback to the agency’s efforts to improve safety compliance on the waterways and urged all passengers and operators to cooperate with NIWA in promoting safety awareness nationwide.

The event was attended by key stakeholders including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; the Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau; the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency; and the CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema.

Junior Pope and others drowned in April 2024 while returning from the set of a film titled Another Side of Life, produced by Adanma Luke. The boat reportedly capsized near Cable Point on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta State.