The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has lifted the suspension of Adanma Luke, the producer of the ill-fated movie ‘The Other Side of Life’, which starred the late Nollywood actor John Paul Odonwodo aka Junior Pope.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Junior Pope and four other crew members drowned after their boat capsized on the bank of River Niger Cable Point, Asaba, Delta State while they were returning from the set of the movie (The Other Side of Life) on April 10.
Following the incident and tragic deaths, the AGN indefinitely suspended Ms. Luke for violating safety protocols and banned its members from working with the embattled producer until further notice.
The guild also banned films involving waterfront areas and boat rides to ensure the safety of cast and crew members and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
She was pardoned four months after she was banned from participating in any film production.
Producer Adama Luke
The National Secretary of AGN, Abubakar Yakubu, disclosed this in a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.
The secretary said that this decision was revealed during the meeting of the National Executive Council of the union.
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The statement read: “The National President of the Guild, Dr. Ejezie Emeka Rollas, MON, takes this opportunity to announce the lifting of the suspension imposed on Adanma Luke, producer of the movie ‘Another Side of Life’, where star actor Junior Pope and four other crew members lost their lives in the Anam River.”
“The President also lifted the ban on filming in riverside areas, but warned members to apply all standard security measures recommended in the AGN Statutes.”
Boat accident
The news of the nautical accident suffered by the crew in April caused a stir throughout the country.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a preliminary report dated May 25 by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) detailed that the accident was a result of driver distraction and revealed that the boat was not certified by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Before his death, the actor posted a video on his Instagram page, expressing his concern about the lack of life jackets during his river crossing.
He captioned the video: “Watch me wail. The risk we take to entertain you: crossing the 9ja river yesterday without a life jacket. Na wahooooo. Who does that?”
The tragic incident highlighted safety concerns on film sets, leading to calls for scrutiny and better standards within the industry.
In official response to the tragedy, the guild quickly extended its condolences, halted film shoots nationwide on April 11, and set up two committees: one to investigate the incident and another to improve the welfare of its members.
The AGN introduced new bylaws on July 9 aimed at improving production standards and welfare.
Adam Lucas
Adanma Luke is known for producing Iga (Love in Chain) (2020), Narrow Affection (2023), and School Trouble (2014).
On April 13, Luke said she was traumatized by the incident and revealed that she wished it had been a dream. The filmmaker revealed that she was supposed to be on the overturned boat and explained that her production manager had asked her to bring the memory card to the set, but when she arrived, she learned of the tragedy.
According to the producer, life jackets were available, but Junior Pope refused to wear one because it was dirty.
This confirms the NSIB's preliminary report, which noted that only a few passengers on the ship were wearing life jackets.
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Junior Pope was buried in his hometown of Ukehe, in the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State on May 17.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the funeral mass was officiated by the Most Rev. Godfrey Onah, Bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, at St. Peter's Catholic Parish, Ukehe.
This newspaper also reported that on April 30, Precious Ofurum, the film's sound engineer, was buried in Rivers State, just as the make-up artist, Abigail Fredrick, was buried in her hometown in Ikot Udoma, Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.