The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has revealed that the tragic boat accident that claimed the life of Nigerian movie actor Junior Pope Odonwodo and four others in 2024 was caused by human error, not a mechanical fault.
Speaking during a multi-modal transportation stakeholders forum in Abuja on Thursday, NIWA’s Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, said investigations showed that some passengers on board had rejected life jackets offered to them before the journey. In Oyebamiji’s words:
“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.”
The MD stressed that such disregard for safety rules undermines the agency’s efforts to keep waterways safe. He urged all water transport users to cooperate with NIWA in promoting safety awareness nationwide.
The forum was attended by high-profile figures including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema.
Junior Pope and the other victims drowned in April 2024 while returning from a movie shoot for Another Side of Life, produced by their colleague, actress Adanma Luke. The boat capsized around Cable Point, at the waterside of River Niger in Asaba, Delta State.
In other news, music executive and elder brother to singers Peter and Paul Okoye, Jude Okoye, is in a celebratory mood as his wife, Ify, marks her 35th birthday today, Thursday July 31, 2025.
Taking to his photo and video sharing platform, Instagram, the former Psquare manager penned a heartfelt message:
“Happy Birthday to my girlfriend, bestie and gist partner @ifyokoye1. May you continue to prosper and grow in God’s favor as you turn a year older today.”
The couple have been married since 2014 and share two children.
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