“Junior Pope Didn’t Pay his AGN Dues” – AGN President Explains why Late Actor Won’t Receive Benefits

Emeka Rollas, the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), has explained why the guild could not take legal action against actress Adanma Luke over the death of actor Junior Pope.

Junior Pope, along with four crew members, tragically died on April 10, 2024, when their boat capsized in the River Niger near Asaba, Delta State. They were en route to a movie location for the film The Other Side of Life, produced by Adanma Luke.

Following the incident, the AGN suspended Adanma Luke. However, in a recent interview on Arise TV, Emeka Rollas revealed that the guild was unable to sue the producer because Junior Pope was not an active, dues-paying member of the AGN at the time of his death. Additionally, the contract signed between Junior Pope and the producer stipulated that only his immediate family or wife had the legal standing to pursue a lawsuit.

Rollas stated, “Update on Junior Pope—you know I mentioned earlier that we were preparing to sue. However, after consulting with our legal adviser, it became clear that the AGN lacked the legal standing to take action. According to the contract he signed, only his direct family or wife could sue the producer.”

He further disclosed plans to restructure the AGN to address issues like this in the future. “We are working on creating a more organized structure. After our recent visit to Los Angeles, we’ve decided to implement significant changes, including licensing actors. We discovered that even Junior Pope, despite being a prominent actor, was not a dues-paying member of the guild for over a year before his death.”

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