Desmond Elliot – I apologise for calling everybody children
Desmond Elliot, a popular Nigerian actor turned politician, has again tendered a public apology for his insensitive comments about the youths during October 2020 EndSARS protest.
Recall that the Lagos lawmaker representing the Surulere I constituency at the State legislature was dragged on social media after referring to Nigerian youths who reacted to the shootings at the Lekki Tollgate as children. He had pushed for the regulation of social media after the protest.
However, in a swift response, Elliot had in October 2020 issued a statement in which he apologised to those whose toes he stepped on with his comments.
The lawmaker, during his recent interview on TVC’s ‘Your View’, offered clarity on the matter, insisting he wasn’t referring to all youths on social media as children but those who were cursing Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru.
He said: “What I can say is, I think forgiveness is divine. I mean, no one owns it all. Something can be your truth, and to another person, it might not be. I do not think going back to bring out those sensitive moments would do anything.
“I think at the end of the day, I apologised, and I’m still apologising to those who must have misconstrued what I said. I said I was taken by emotions, but in the end, it still didn’t take away from the fact that the hatred was too much. The polity, the hatred is too much. We are all built on love. We can change things through love.”
