Desmond Elliot, Nollywood actor and politician, has lamented the level of hatred directed at him for a comment he made in 2020.
Remember that during the #ENDSARS protest in 2020, Elliot faced a barrage of criticism after a video of him referring to Nigerian youths as children (among other comments) during a plenary session at the Lagos state House of Assembly went viral.
The comment seemed to have enraged most Nigerian youths who have not hidden their resentment towards him since the incident.
Speaking on TVC’s Your View, ‘Let’s Talk’, the lawmaker apologised for the comment, explaining he made the comment out of emotions.
According to Elliot, the hatred he has received on the heels of the comment was ‘too much’, calling on Nigerians to spread love instead.
“I’m still apologising to those who must have misconstrued what I said. I said I was taken by emotions,” he said.
“But, in the end, it still didn’t take away from the facts; the hatred is too much, the polity, the hatred is too much.”
The actor-cum-politician also revealed that the hatred has extended to the streets as he gets verbal attacks whenever he steps out.
“I’m in politics now for eight years and I still stand on the fact that love conquers all. I mean I’ve gone out in the streets and people still curse me,” he said.
“But I’m not afraid, I’m not ashamed because they don’t understand the stress that you go through.”