The late Nollywood actor, popularly known as Junior Pope, was someone’s loving son, brother, husband, father, brother-in-law, friend, neighbour and much more. All those who meant one thing of the other to him, or to whom he meant something, now stand confounded, sad and unable to make much sense of the emerging narratives. This is one death that must be investigated to the very last decimal. It must be used by the Federal Government and all industry stakeholders as anchorage for a nationwide initiative that would explore the many dysfunctionalities and challenges facing the movie industry in Nigeria; in order to remedy same.

As an Igbo proverb sayd: “No one should carry on after the death of another human being as if I was a stray chicken that got run over in a stampede”.

The sad reality before us today is that a vibrant young man’s life had to end when, in all probability, it didn’t have to. This unfortunate incident, especially also considering that other industry hands and professionals also passed away with him in the benumbing tragedy, must be taken as a wakeup call for a well thought plan towards strengthening the pillars of professionalism, industry knowledge, practitioners’ welfare and meaningful insurance policies around the Nigerian movie industry. But, more importantly, this incident should not be swept under the mat, but should drive detailed investigations into the remote and immediate causative factors.

But let us look at some details in the whirling narrative, before concluding with some thoughts on institutional and policy measure, as well as the appropriate legislations that could create a holistic template for industry stakeholders.

The first item in the plethora of now-trending media content is an online video clip, presumably recorded by Junior Pope while on the ill-fated boat on his way to the location for their production activities. The recording is also seen to have been capture by the actor himself, as he cruised alongside other colleagues a day before the incident. These were some of the self-recorded words of the now-late actor in the trending video, which he reeled off with some laughter and good humour: “See me lamenting! The risks we take to entertain you! Crossing River Niger Yesterday with no life jacket! Na wah o! Who does that”? The actor even tagged the producer, Adanma Luke, in the video.

The other fact to consider in the tumbling narratives everywhere today is the fact that the operating transport equipment, in this case a boat of questionable dependability in high waters, was not considered an issue at any point before the accident. The “speedboat” in question is the type with the hand-maneuvered engine at its rear end; and which also has limited passenger and load bearing capacity.

I had personally experienced the danger of riding in this type of boat. That was some forty years ago, during my Youth Service year in the then Bendel State. Notwithstanding the fact that such boats we rode in back then was designed ideally for five passengers, the well-made fiber glass thing would usually having a standard payload of thirteen passengers arbitrarily inflicted on it anytime we rode on it across the NPA Port Warri; towards Ode Itesekiri off Warri mainland. When fully loaded in this way, the boat barely stood nine to ten inches above the water on which it was sailing. But we are digressing.

The other fact in the details of the Junior Pope sorry tale is that the collision with another boat was clearly avoidable.  On the one hand, one of the co-travelers is being blamed in some video clips for blocking the view of the boat driver and causing distraction by his words and the continuous ringing of a big bell. On the other hand, the boat driver is being blamed for general inattention to his primary task of conveying his passengers safely to their destination. 

Then came the rescue effort after the collision. The rescue team, made up of persons alerted by what had happened and who thus went out of their way to help, is reported to have first rescued some two victims of the boat mishap, whom they could easily see above the water. It was also reported that it was these initially rescued persons who alerted their rescuers about their volley who were still under water; before they went back for those others, including Junior Pope.

Now, think of how long it must have taken for this return trip. Think of how many minutes it takes for someone who is deprived of oxygen to be pronounced brain dead. From video clips online showing Junior Pope as his prostrate body was being carried out of the water, one could see that he was laid face up. He could have been laid sideways, to enable some water exit from his obviously water-clogged lungs; but that is neither here nor there. If the young man had any chances of survival at all, this position diminished that chance very significantly. 

Matters were also not helped by the fact that the rescuers and bystanders either did not know about emergency revival measures for victims of drowning, or saw no need to perform CPR on the unconscious Junior Pope. The fact that the inert body of the actor was allegedly taken straight from the river bank to a morgue, am initial claim that is now open to question in some quarters, as well as the morgue attendant’s refusal to attend to the body for some professional reasons, are issue on their own. And, then, the matter involving an herbalist.

It is one thing to object to an action in full day consciousness in the serenity of your sitting room. It is quite another matter to be confronted with a decision when, in addition to being at your wits end, the situation before you presents the type of emotional ambush that you would never have contemplated in your wildest imagination. That, I believe was the likely condition of the bewildered groups that had come for one thing and met danger, drowning and death instead.

I recall a story in the media, over two decades ago, of how a bereaved family had to get involved in elaborate rituals and sacrifices by the herbalist, high priest or witch doctor, in this same river for the dead body of the woman who drowned in the river to eventually float to the surface in order to be taken away by the relatives of the deceased for burial. The body was said not to have come afloat untill three full days after the said woman drowned and died in the river. So, these are matters about which the jury is still decidedly out.

Going back to the Junior Pope saga, it was reported, complete with video clips, of how those who were present at the herbalist’s shrine started jubilating after the hitherto unconscious actor made some physical movement. The first conclusion to draw from this is that the entire episode involving the herbalist was not a case of mass hallucination.

Also, if the herbalist actually subsequently advised the people to quickly take Junior Pope to a conventional hospital after his intervention, in order to fully revive the body of the still unconscious actor, it must follow that the most critical, and determining, variables at the point they left with Junior Popes body were (1) How quickly it would take them to get the unconscious actor to a hospital, as directed; (2) How long it would take the hospital authorities to determine what measures to take, towards reviving the patient; (3) How long it would take the hospital team to assemble the required equipment and personnel to do the needful regarding the patient.

The question for us here now concerns what was done, or not done, by whom and within what timeframe. And let us not forget this: there was no mention of any efforts to expel the massive volume of water that must have accumulated in the actor’s lungs while he as underwater; and which must have led to his loss of consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. 

Contextually speaking, therefore, there are many issues here that suggest an unacceptable level of ineptitude, in terms of basic scientific knowledge of the everyday type. How, for instance, could the bulk of a fishing community be bystanders and wailing watchers after a “recently drowned” person is brought out of water?

 And this brings us back to the core matter of concern, all underpinned by the need for the Presidency to show special interest in this matter. The Federal Government should use the instrumentalities of the sector’s supervising ministry, the Department of State Service (DSS, the Police and the Nigeran Inland Water ways Authority (NIWA) and industry stakeholders to: (1) Investigate this incident in every detail, (2) Redefine overall industry safety measures; Take a clear and enforceable position on personnel insurance; and (3) work out new Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) for the training of boat riders,

Proper risk analysis, risk assessment, risk mitigation measures are needed here, to help this industry. The producer’s duty in this entire drama must also be viewed with great tact and discretion, because I believe the lady is as scandalized and traumatized as everyone else. I also see no need to bring up, dramatize or speculate on the possibility of some family issues being connected with this unfortunate mishap.

As I said at the beginning of this article: “This is one death that must be investigated to the very last decimal. It must be used by the Federal Government and all industry stakeholders as anchorage for a nationwide initiative that would explore the many dysfunctionalities and challenges facing the movie industry in Nigeria; in order to and remedy same”.

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The Federal Government should use the instrumentalities of the sector’s supervising ministry, the Department of State Service (DSS, the Police and the Nigeran Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA) and industry stakeholders to: (1) Investigate this incident in every detail, (2) Redefine overall industry safety measures; Take a clear and enforceable position on personnel insurance; and (3) work out new Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) for the training of boat riders,