“Please forgive me, I apologise for calling ‘youths’ children – Desmond Elliot

Actor Desmond Elliot has tendered a public apology to all for his ‘insensitive’ comments about the youths during the #ENDSARS protest in October 2020.

The Lagos lawmaker was dragged on social media, particularly on Twitter after being accused of referring to youths as children while pushing for the regulation of social media.

But during his recent appearance on TVC’s ‘Your View’, Elliot offered clarity on the matter, insisting he wasn’t referring to all youths on social media as children but those who were cursing Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.

He said: “What I can say is, I think forgiveness is divine. I mean, o one owns it all. Something can be your truth and to another person, it might not be. I don’t think going back to bring out those sensitive moments would do anything.

“I think at the end of the day, I apologised for, 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 is too much. The polity, the hatred is too much. We are all built on love. We can change things by love.

“I’m in politics now, eight years and I still stand on the fact that love conquers all. I mean, I’ve gone out on the street and people still curse at me. But I’m not afraid, I’m not ashamed. Because they don’t understand the stress that you go through and I pick it from their point of view because someone just hoped that you could just help him or her. And at that point, you are stressed with so many things. So at the end of the day, it happened.

“I wasn’t referring to everybody as children. It was the people that were on my Mr Speaker’s handle, that were talking to Mr Speaker, I was referring to and not everybody. And truly, they were teenagers, when I clicked on those who were cursing at Mr Speaker. And that’s exactly what I said. But I’m sorry again. That’s what politics teaches you. You must learn. You must! You can never be prideful. You can never buga in politics. Who you be? So, you must humble yourself.

On October 29, 2020, Elliot came under fire after a video in which he condemned the use of social media by influencers, celebrities and the youth resurfaced on the internet.

The lawmaker was accused of pushing for a bill to censor social media speech and also reportedly blamed the shooting of peaceful protestors at the Lekki toll gate on social media influencers and celebrities.

He denied the allegations in a video posted to Instagram where he stated: “This is false. No state House of Assembly has the jurisdiction to even deliberate to pass any bill, It’s not possible.

“The only thing I said was that celebrities, influencers, and motivational speakers should cut down on the hate narrative. Everyone is going through so much right now,” he said.