The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has stated that the boat accident which occurred on the Anam River in Anambra State in 2024, claiming the lives of Nollywood actor Junior Pope and four others, was caused by human error rather than any mechanical failure.
Bola Oyebamiji, Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), made the disclosure on Thursday during a multi-modal transportation stakeholders’ forum held in Abuja.
He stated that before the tragic incident occurred, some of the passengers declined to wear the life jackets that were provided to them.
READ MORE: Leo Dasilva Urges NAFDAC To Raid Abuja Supermarkets Over Fake Products On Sale
“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.
Referencing the incident, Oyebamiji noted that such behaviour from passengers undermines the agency’s efforts to maintain maximum safety on the waterways.
He also urged all waterway users to collaborate with NIWA in promoting safety awareness nationwide.
The event also had in attendance 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 Limited, Allen Onyema, among others.
In April 2024, Junior Pope was among the victims who drowned while returning from a film shoot for Another Side of Life, a production spearheaded by Adanma Luke.
The boat reportedly capsized near Cable Point along the River Niger waterfront in Asaba, Delta State.
The post Junior Pope’s Death Avoidable – NIWA Attributes Fatal Boat Crash To Human Error appeared first on Information Nigeria.
