Usage Of Life Jackets On Anambra Waterways Now Compulsory – Ikenna Ofodeme

The Anambra House of Assembly has passed a motion making compulsory the use of life jackets on waterways in the Eastern state.

This is coming after the death of Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to Mr Ikenna Ofodeme, many lives have been lost due to passengers and operators of boats not using life jackets, and the absence of regulations compelling the use of life jackets poses a significant risk to the lives of passengers and operators of transportation on waterways.

He added that the safety of citizens utilizing water transportation should be of paramount importance.

His words, “Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that the protection of life and property remain the primary purpose of government.

The safety of citizens utilising water transportation is of paramount importance too.

Therefore, adequate provisions and distribution of certified life jackets be made to all maritime businesses with strict enforcement mechanisms to ensure proper usage by passengers and operators alike.

There should also be public awareness to educate citizens on the importance of wearing life jackets during water transportation and the potential consequences of non-compliance.”

WOW.

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.