Junior Pope: Delta Government Bans Actors From Traveling By Boat Without Safety Equipment

THE Delta Government forbids performers from using its water bodies for artistic purposes if they are not wearing life jackets and taking other precautions.

This is stated in a sympathy message that State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Nnamdi Ijeh, sent on Monday to the relatives of those killed in last week's tragic boat accident on the River Niger. The message was made accessible to reporters in Asaba.

According to MON DIARIES, Junior Pope and the other members of the crew sadly lost their lives when their boat overturned in the Anam River in Anambra State when they were returning home from filming sites.

“On behalf of the 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.

“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,” he said.

Ijeh also added, “the Delta 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. (ΝΑΝ)