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Lagos lawmaker and actor-turned-politician, Desmond Elliot, has defended his record in public office, insisting that his years in politics have been driven by service rather than personal gain.
Speaking during an interview on Morayo Brown’s programme, the member representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly said he belongs to a different class of politicians and has never used public office for personal enrichment.
According to Elliot, politicians must constantly remind themselves that power is temporary and should be used to improve the lives of the people who entrusted them with leadership.
“We will all die one day. We are not here forever,” he said.
“This I am saying to all of us politicians, we are not here forever. You were in that particular place for a reason, not because you are better than the next person. Trust me, there are way better people than you.”
The lawmaker pointed to improvements in electricity supply across Surulere as what he considers his most significant achievement since assuming office.
“Power is my greatest achievement as a lawmaker in Surulere Constituency I,” Elliot stated.
“My own kind of politician, I don’t steal money. If you look at Surulere 10 years ago, it was a horrible place to live in. Today, there is electricity, healthcare and all.”
He argued that the transformation of the area over the past decade is visible to residents, particularly in the quality and reliability of electricity supply.
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“If you look at Surulere 10 years ago, it was a horrible place to live in. Today, electricity is one of the best you can find anywhere else,” he added.
Elliot also called for a rethink of Nigeria’s democratic structure, saying the country should design a political system that reflects its own realities instead of relying entirely on foreign models.
“We have to define our own style of democracy,” he said.
Suggesting a long-term governance framework, he proposed a structured rotational arrangement that would allow different regions of the country to take turns in leadership while working towards a common national development plan.
“Let’s have a 30-year plan, for instance, and say for the next five years, let the west rule, the next five years let the north rule, the next five years let the central rule. Yet we are already following through a particular plan that leads us to 30 years. I’m just giving an idea,” he explained.
On national politics, Elliot expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, saying he has yet to see anyone capable of displacing the President as the country’s leading political figure.
“I’m thinking, okay, who is the next saviour that can remove Asiwaju from what he is doing? Presently, I cannot see yet,” he said.
Elliot entered politics in 2014 under the All Progressives Congress and won election to represent Surulere Constituency I in 2015. He has since retained the seat in subsequent elections, combining his political career with his long-standing presence in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.
