Nollywood actor cum politician, Desmond Shola Elliot, is a year older today. The handsome politician representing Surulere constituency in Lagos State is 44 years. So we bring you seven things you probably did not know about him plus some of his throwback photos.
See below…
- He was born to a Yoruba father and Igbo mum.
- He screams a lot on set while directing but “the good thing about me is that when I scream that is where it stops. I don’t take it to heart.”
- He has being married to his wife since 2003 on Boxing Day, the same year Elliot Desmond graduated from the University in Lagos.
- He is happily married to his wife and they have four beautiful children (two set of twins, Desmond, Denzel, Donald and .
- When asked how his mother reacted on seeing on him on screen for the first time, Desmond who is often called Shola at home, said “she was excited… (Who wouldn’t be) the first time she saw me on screen was in a movie, Suitors, where I played an extra role.
- He has been married for about 15 years but kids did not come till after his marriage was 4years. “It affected me then. I have always wanted kids. It didn’t come and I was wondering what was happening…My wife panicked and you know we had to go for tests like two years later and it was just a question of being patient. We went to hospitals both at home and abroad. Of course, you get worried and unsettled. It’s the kind of problem especially when you know you are not the kind that did all those rascally stuff.”
- His wife bounced him by giving him a No when he first asked her out “I met her in school, University of Jos. We were in the same church. We are church people. We met and one thing led to another and we started becoming close. I fell in love and I asked…if she would be my girlfriend and she said no…but now we are so in love…
In a recent interview, the Nigerian actor cum politician shared why he is a typical and complete Nigerian. See excerpts below…
What was the reaction you got from immediate family members, starting with your wife, when you announced you were going into politics?
Okay, early year 2000, I’d told my wife already about my desire to go into politics. When I met Asiwaju in 2006, I told my wife and she saw how excited I was. She didn’t really take me seriously, but she supported. It was when I started staying up late in 2013 to 2014, meeting with leaders to speak to them about my aspirations, and then I get home late in the night. I would start explaining to my wife about who I met, what they said, then, she began to take me serious from that period. In 2015, I had a family meeting with my mum, my brothers and my sister, and there and then I told them of my intentions and what I wanted to do. And of course they gave their support.
Tell us about your background. Tell us about Mum, Dad.
My father was Engineer Emmanuel Bamidele Elliot, born to Yoruba parents. He’s from a place called Olowo in Lagos Island. In 1955, they moved from Lagos Island to Surulere and settled in Gbaja. My father and family have been in Gbaja since 1955 and we’re still there till this very moment. My Dad is late now but his elder brother, Pa Elliot is still alive. I still have my brothers and half brothers and we’re great together. My father had two wives, my mum being the second, she is Delta-Igbo, from a place called Ilah, same place where Steven Keshi is from. They’re very wonderful and we’re quite close. I grew up in the north, in Jos.
I had my primary, secondary and part of my university life in Jos. I attended St. John College, Jos, I went to a place in Pankshin called Plateau College, Sharam, then I went to Air Force Primary School, Jos. And my wife is from Akwa Ibom, so you can see that I am North, South, East and West, you can see that I’m a typical and complete Nigerian and it flows through my veins.
Having all these extractions around me has helped me love and appreciate people, understand ourselves as Nigerians and see that we’re so different, yet perfectly unique. I’ve come to appreciate every tribe and tongue, and really, all of these have helped form part of who I am. For a good part of my life, I’ve been known as Sola, it was when I was getting into the movie industry that I decided to adopt the name Desmond because my last name is English as well.
