NewStats: 3,261,514 , 8,174,224 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 01:28 PM 36391o

FACT-CHECK: Did Desmond Elliot call for social media regulation as widely claimed?
There's nowhere in the speech where Mr Elliot advocated 'social media regulation in Nigeria'.

Verdict: The claim that Mr Elliot called for the regulation of social media in Nigeria as a result of the #EndSARS protest is misleading.

The headline of the reports did not match the content as there was nowhere in Mr. Elliot’s speech where he categorically said social media should be regulated in Nigeria.

Full text

The aftermath of the #EndSARS protest came with an influx of controversies, multiple streams of information, and disinformation. One of the comments that suddenly became controversial was that by Nigerian actor and politician, Desmond Elliot.

Desmond Eliot, who is representing the Surulere constituency at the Lagos House of Assembly, was a Nollywood actor who later ed politics as a state lawmaker.

At the Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday, October 26, 2020, Mr Elliot pushed for his fellow lawmakers to pay more attention to social media. He was reacting to the topic: ‘effects and aftermath of #EndSARS protest in Lagos; destruction of monuments, public and private properties,’ which was being discussed by the lawmakers.

Mr Elliot’s speech was met with criticism by social media s who rebuked him for referring to s as ‘children’ and for purportedly calling for social media regulation.

Some sections of the media reported Mr Elliot’s speech in this sense. For instance, thewillnigeria.com, a news website, claimed Desmond Elliot called for regulation of social media in Nigeria in line with the impact it had on the #EndSARS protest. The claim was presented in a news report that was headlined “Regulate Social Media- Desmond Eliot” alongside transcribed statements from Mr. Desmond’s speech.

Headline of the story on ThewillNigeria

Naijadiary came up with a similar headline with the lead, “A video captured the moment Nollywood actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot, called for social media regulation at the Lagos State House of Assembly.”

Nigerian social media also misinterpreted and amplified the lawmaker’s speech in like manner.

Alex Weenick (@Alexweenick )tweeted in reaction, “Dear Desmond Elliot, If you want to shut down social media like China, Also suggest that death penalty should be included for corrupt politicians like China is doing.#EndOppression#Endbadgovernance #EndSARS”

Like the news headlines, tweets, comments and other posts on social media misrepresented Mr Elliot’s speech as a call for the regulation of social media in Nigeria.

DUBAWA and TIMES set out to find out if Mr. Elliot actually made this call.

Verification

We traced the original video clip that captured the plenary session of the Lagos Assembly. A content analysis of Mr Elliot’s speech during the plenary session revealed that he mentioned ‘social media’ twice in his six-minute speech.

First when he said that “We need to address certain things: Nigerian youth; the social media; the social influencers. All of these are making the narrative that we’re seeing today. Except we’re joking with ourselves, social media, yes though good has its negative impacts.”

And when he also said, “Please celebrities; please social media influencers, stop the hatred already. You have a means constitutionally to change the government; it’s called your PVC.”

We could not trace anywhere within the speech where Mr Elliot said something about ‘social media regulation in Nigeria’.

Furthermore, thewillnigeria.com, seems to have doctored Mr Elliot’s speech to suit its headline: “Regulate Social Media- Desmond Elliot.” In one instance, keywords from his statements were excluded in the claimant’s reports:

Although the highlighted statement is quoted as Mr Elliot’s words, his actual statement transcribed from the audio is different.

The actual statement from his speech, contrary to the highlights in red, as reported by thewillingnigeria.com was “Except we’re joking with ourselves, social media, yes though good, has its negative impacts.” while ThewillNigeria quoted him as saying “Except we’re joking with ourselves, social media has its negative impacts.” omitting the phrase “yes though good.”

Conclusion

In his widely referenced speech, Mr Elliot never categorically called for the regulation of social media in Nigeria. The reports and associated comments on social media are misleading.

TIMES

Fact Checkers! So what was Desmond crying and apologizing for?

Children wont still believe.

Children don't believe in fact checking. They only believe in what influencers and celebrities tell them.

Mr fact checker, what does he mean by "social media regulation"?
And he was calling you a child oh you fact checker

Him go hear am
We move!

It's look like Desmond Elliot is on nairaland, well Desmond Desmond, just tell everybody to drop their details let's start from there

paid fact checker

There's been a lot of cyberspace bullying taking place since 2015 and it's even worse with the endsars protests situation.

Truthfully speaking the government has been wrong in some instances and protesters have been wrong in some instances as well.

But you dare not talk about what the protesters have done wrong over the past 3 weeks.

You dare not!

Media personalities, the so called music celebrities and the so called nollywood celebrities would do, say and post whatever it takes to be seen to be "on the side of the people" when in actual fact, deep in their hearts they may think otherwise.

90 percent of them are in this for clout chasing.

Desmond Eliot made a huge mistake; speaking out with honesty and objectivity.
In this situation you do not speak with honesty and objectivity!

You make sure you side with "the people" by every means necessary.

Desmond Eddiot. Bloody talkative. Went to Benin and said godfatherism is the best for the people

Fact checkers association una well done o. Stupid and nonsense

I don't care what he said, that guy is a disgrace

---

Abeg check whether he called Nigerian youths shildren ASAP!

Abeg make this Desmond matter rest jare.

E nu ose

The children of hate sleep and wake in the midst of fake news. Nobody can stop them.

Hate deprives even a learned man comprehension.

Forget all these paid jargon, Desmond is an animal and we all know.
Did he really construct this mighty bridge?
Should't you fact check this?

Bamaso

He may not have mentioned it explicitly but the inference from his speech is a social media regulation.

No Need....just play the video clip of the procession to help your FACT FINDER.


Proactivity Leads To Productivity!!!!
© Seniorwriter

I would have commented, but I no well; I dey purge!

OP, how much were you paid? Olofo! GTFO Fool!

Else, why was the fool crying and begging like the pvssy he really is?

He implied it and he apologized. Your fact checking has lost all credibility because it's always selective

Mr. Fact Check,
Aside the bullsh*t you just posted above, ALL your threads are always crap!!
Thank God say all these things dey end online, else people like you for don collect tire!

thebosstrevor1:
Children wont still believe.

Children don't believe in fact checking. They only believe in what influencers and celebrities tell them.

your stupidity knows no bounds

This is another way of calling us children, What are you fact checking? The video of him and his utterances is not enough fact but this write-up. Desmond learn how to engage your brain before you talk instead of this weak come-back

Uprightness100:
Fact Checkers! So what was Desmond crying and apologizing for?

For calling youths children

But why was he crying and apologizing?

.