Junior Pope: Why AGN couldn’t sue filmmaker Adanma Luke

Junior Pope tragically died in a boat accident on 10 April while returning from the set of Adanma Luke’s movie “Other Side of Life”.

The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has given reasons why they could not pursue legal action against filmmaker Adanma Luke following the tragic death of actor Junior Pope.

Junior Pope tragically died in a boat accident on 10 April while returning from the set of Adanma Luke’s movie “Other Side of Life”.

Consequently, on 11 April, Adanma was suspended for breaching safety protocols.

The Guild also banned films involving riverine areas and boat riding to ensure the safety of actors and crew members by preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The AGN eventually lifted the ban on Adanma in August.

Before the incident, the 34-year-old producer was known for producing movies such as Iga (Love in Chain) (2020), Narrow Affection (2023), and School Trouble (2014).

During an interview with ARISE TV, Mr Rollas explained the drawbacks of suing Adanma.

“Update on Junior Pope, you know I was here, and I said we are about to sue. While interacting with our legal adviser, he said that the AGN did not have the locus to sue from the contract Junior Pope signed with the producer. He said either the direct family or the wife should sue the producer.

“From the structure we are creating, tapping from the practice, we will begin licensing actors because we also found out that even the Junior Pope, as of his death, was not a due-paying guild member. He was a big actor who had not paid dues in the last year before his death,” he said.

Restructure and licensing of actors

The AGN president also emphasised the urgent need for reforms in Nigeria’s film industry, focusing on actor licensing and better compensation structures.

Mr Rollas explained that the Guild is working on creating a new structure that includes licensing actors to ensure better compensation and financial security for industry practitioners.

He said, “We will return to the structure we discussed. We are trying to change many things because we just returned from Los Angeles.

“Now, if you talk about benefits, for instance, in the average balance, you must be financially up to date to get benefits.

“So now if we change, if we begin to upgrade and say look, you can be active in Nigeria, you can work on, you can be involved in what you’re doing, but you must have a license to practice. And that license you’re given means you are eligible to get everything you need because you have a permit.”

Challenges

Mr Rollas also addressed the challenges Nigerian actors face, emphasising the lack of financial systems and compensation structures.

He said, “I’ll be speaking from the perspective of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.

“We know that in Nigeria today, we have many big companies making films here, and nobody is talking about royalties or residuals paid to actors, which is the major source of an actor’s income.”

He highlighted that lacking proper structures leaves Nigerian actors vulnerable, especially when prominent actors face serious health issues.

“You see big names when they fall sick, they don’t get any help because their financial remuneration from the work they do does not extend to royalties and residuals,”

“In the normal parlance of benefits, you must have to be financially up to date to get benefits.

“So now, if we change, if we begin to upgrade and say, ‘Look, you can be active in Nigeria, you can work, you can be involved in what you’re doing, but you must have a license to practice.’ And that license you’re given means that you are eligible to get all the things you need to get because you have a license.”