Desmond Elliot | |
|---|---|
 Elliot at the2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in Lagos | |
| Lagos State House of Assembly,Surulere constituency 1 | |
| Assumed office 11 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Kabiru Lawal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Desmond Oluwashola Elliot (1974-02-04)4 February 1974 (age 51) Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Political party | All Progressives Congress (APC) |
| Spouse | Victoria Elliot[1] |
| Occupation | Actor, film director, politician |
Desmond Oluwashola Elliot (born 4 February 1974) is aNigerian actor, director and politician.[2][3] He was elected as alawmaker of theLagos State House of Assembly,Surulere Constituency in the 11 April 2015Nigerian General Elections. Elliot competed to become the ambassador for the Face of Hope Project, a non-profit combatting illiteracy amongst Nigerian youth.
Elliot was born to aYoruba father fromOlowogbowo inLagos Island, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria and a mother fromIllah inOshimili North, Delta State, South-South Nigeria.[4] He received his primary education at Air Force Primary School and later attended St John's College, both inJos. He studied economics atLagos State University and graduated in 2003.[5]
Elliot was influenced by a friend to become an actor.[5] He started playing roles in soap operas likeEveryday People,One Too Much andSaints and Sinners. He is one ofNollywood's leading actors, having appeared in over two hundred films includingMen Who Cheat,Yahoo Millionaire andAtlanta. In 2006, he was nominated for theAfrican Movie Academy Award for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" in the movie "Behind Closed Doors".[6][7][8] In 2008, Elliot co-produced and co-directed the movie "Reloaded" which received 3 nominations at theAfrica Movie Academy Awards in 2009.[9][10][11][12] In 2009 and 2010, He was nominated for theBest Actor category at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[13]
Also in 2010, Elliot competed to become the ambassador for the Face of Hope Project, a "volunteer-based non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization established to give hope to the hopeless", in which he will work toward fixing "child illiteracy in Nigeria and Africa at large" should he emerge. In 2014, he was nominated for theAfrican Movie Academy Award for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" in the movie "Finding Mercy"[14]
Elliot declared his intentions in September 2014 to run forLagos State House of Assembly under theAll Progressives Congress.He contested and won theSurulere Constituency on the 11th of April, 2015.Nigerian General Elections.[15] In October 2020, during theEnd SARS protest, Desmond was heavily criticized[16] for allegedly supporting Anti-Social Media Bill in Nigeria; an allegation he earlier denied when the news first filtered in via social media.[17][18][19] In a viral video circulating all over the internet, he was seen vehemently criticizing social media users and influencers and stating that if the Nigerian state doesn't stop social media, social media will destroy the Nigerian state. His comments were not taken lightly by Nigerians on social media and thus the popular Nigerian pidgin slang,na Desmond Elliot cause am, meaningIt's Desmond Elliot's fault, was born.
He however came out few days later to apologize. He said “I allowed my emotions get the better of me and for this I apologize to everyone my earlier statements may have hurt. Please, understand that even the best of us makes mistakes. This is why, moving forward, I ask that we all try to engage constructively on the issues that affect all of us. I promise to do the same. The pain that I feel for my constituents, the calls for assistance that I continue to get, and the need to mitigate against further destruction and violence will continue to drive my engagements and my work. I thank you all for expressing your views, and in the future, I promise to be more conscious and aware. Together, we will build a betterNigeria"[20]Desmond Elliot is presently seeking a third term as state legislator representing Surulere Constituency 1. Although, his nomination by the party (APC) during his two terms in office came unopposed, he faced strong opposition going into the 2023 general elections, as a host of aspirants (including Honourable Barakat Bakare Akande, the sitting Council leader of Surulere Local Government) and Fuad Kayode Laguda declared intention to also vie for the ticket. Through some form of intra-party horse-trading, he eventually got the ticket, paving way for a third term representativeness.
Elliot is married and has four children.[11] He is involved in public relations forGlobacom.[11][21]
Desmond Elliot celebrated his 15th wedding anniversary with his wife, Victoria Elliot on 26 December 2018.[22]
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