- In the aftermath of the tragic boat accident that took the lives of Junior Pope and four others, Ruth Kadiri has come forward with a spine-chilling recount of her own near-fatal encounter in a similar mishap.
- In a gripping recent interview, Kadiri unveiled the horrifying details of how a boat accident almost ended her life.
- Adding depth to the narrative, her protégé, Chidi Dike, also shared insights during the video interview.
Renowned Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Ruth Kadiri, has shared a gripping tale of her life-or-death struggle in a deep river while filming on set.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Junior Pope died on April 10, 2024, alongside three others after their boat capsized on the Anam River in Anambra State while returning from a film location.
The sudden death of Junior Pope, a major figure in Nigeria’s celebrated film industry, with over 100 films to his name, left the movie community in shock.
This heartbreaking event has spurred actors to speak out about Nollywood’s inadequate safety practices, demanding urgent and substantial reforms.
Commenting on the profound loss, Ruth Kadiri, a leading actor, producer, and screenwriter, who was close to Junior Pope, in an interview with BBC, described Junior Pope as an unstoppable force of joy, and “extremely hyper”.
“He always brought in the positive energy… and I think he was really loved by all,” she told the BBC’s What in the World podcast about her friend.
Continuing her reflections, she expressed dismay at the prevalence of such incidents in Nollywood.
Kadiri recounted a personal experience of almost drowning during filming, which led her to empathize profoundly with the fear that Junior Pope “must have felt at the last minute of his life”.
“I had to shoot a movie so we couldn’t use life jackets,” she says.
“I asked the team if everything was OK and they said the canoe was fine. So I got on the boat, they started to paddle, and the canoe just tumbled into the river.”
She recounted being rescued by a colleague who pulled her from the water just in time.
Ruth Kadiri, boasting more than six million Instagram followers, is now fervently advocating for change.
However, she acknowledges the temptation for actors eager to advance their careers, even if it means risking their safety in potentially hazardous situations.
Ruth Kadiri continued;
“We all do crazy things for the love of this job. We do things we normally would not do.
“As you grow, you learn to put your needs first. Not because you don’t like the production, but because if something goes wrong, that’s the end of it.”
Kadiri points out that safety concerns pervade the entire industry. While larger, well-funded productions can implement safety measures, many smaller operations struggle to afford the additional costs.
To address this disparity, she proposes the establishment of a safety regulatory body with personnel present on film sets, aiming to enhance safety standards across the board.
Her protégé and fellow actor, Chidi Dike, regards Junior Pope’s death as a wake-up call for everyone involved in the industry.
While acknowledging that safety concerns have not always been prioritized, he acknowledges some progress.
Dike observes that directors and producers are now making efforts to prevent filming from extending late into the night, a practice that previously resulted in perilous nighttime journeys home for cast and crew.
WATCH THEM SPEAK BELOW