Why I chose APC as my political party – Desmond Elliot

T here is no doubt that Desmond Elliot is one of the most prolific actors in Nollywood. Not only is he talented on screen, he is also into directing and producing movies. Just recently, he ventured into politics. Desmond Elliot is planning to run for a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly come 2015. 

T here is no doubt that Desmond Elliot is one of the most prolific actors in Nollywood. Not only is he talented on screen, he is also into directing and producing movies. Just recently, he ventured into politics. Desmond Elliot is planning to run for a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly come 2015.

We met him at a location in Lekki where he was shooting his latest movie. In this exclusive interview as our Showtime Celebrity he talks about his career, political ambition and more:

What movie are you working on now?

It’s a movie called ‘Clueless’. It is starring Uru Eke, Joseph Benjamin, Blossom Chukwujekwu and my humble self

When is it going to be released?

Maybe before December or by January

When did you get into movie directing?

I started directing movies about 6 years ago

Which was the first movie you directed?

It’s called ’Uyai’, it’s an Akwa Ibom film

What has been the biggest movie you’ve acted since you got into Nollywood?

I think it would be ‘Behind Closed Doors’ ; that was almost 6 years ago

Has directing been more rewarding than acting?

Not financially, but fulfilling, Yes

What is the highpoint of your career as a movie director?

You learn every day. I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten to my peak but you learn every day. Directing means being creative and being creative means you’ve been doing a lot of thinking. And all that is to be put into the film that you’re doing. I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten to my peak yet but I know I’m rising

Any challenges?

A lot; you have challenges with actors, insufficient equipment, locations, unforeseen circumstances, a lot.

What has been your highest budget movie in terms of directing?

I can’t tell, maybe ‘Apaye’

What’s your idea of a good script?

A script that has a story that can be captivating, that the people can relate with and that can be slightly daring. This is so because you’re not sure if the people would accept it or not

How has life been since you went into politics?

It’s been okay, it’s been good, it’s exposed me to seeing more and the fact that I even want to give back. Out there, the people are not asking for a perfect turnaround, all they are asking for is something that can symbolise a change in their lifestyles.

Why did you suddenly go into politics?

I didn’t suddenly go into politics; politics has always been a part of me. I’ve been involved in campaigns for some Governors and even the President. I’ve been on the campaign trail for very long time now. Even though I have never sought any elective office before I have always had it at back of my mind as something I would do one day. It is not a surprise at all, it’s a well-thought out action and I came very prepared. I didn’t just sleep one day and say okay, it’s time to go into politics

If you were elected into the Lagos State House of Assembly, what change should people expect from you?

A Lot; First, I’m young, dynamic, very vibrant and fast thinking. I’ve had lots of links with corporate bodies, private bodies and nonprofit organizations. Through me I know a lot can be achieved because of my articulated experience. Just wait and see me in action.

Why Surulere?

That’s my constituency; I think it’s good I face my constituency for now

Are you going to leave Nollywood if you get elected?

I can never leave Nollywood, I am only going to help in propagating and promoting laws that would help to structure the industry and make it better and improve it from the present situation – that’s it.

Why did the name ‘Olusola’ just come up from nowhere?

Olusola didn’t just come up; I’m in an industry where we have names. Desmond is my first name, Elliot is my last name and my middle name is Sola.

I’m going to a constituency that knows me as Sola so I put it in; it’s not something I just suddenly 

developed. Everyone is surprised, we’ve gone past surprise; question is what do you have to offer? 

Let’s move on. Whether I have the name Sola or not, that does not affect my capability to do work

How do you see some of your Nollywood colleagues going into politics; do you think anybody can just 

wake up one morning and say they want to go into politics without having the potential in them?

First, everyone is entitled by law to vote and be voted for. Secondly, I am maybe not too surprised that many of Nollywood actors in this dispensation are going into politics. It’s not too far from the fact that there have been a lot of socio-economic changes that have happened to us in recent times.

That being as it may, we still must realize the fact that Nollywood or entertainment as an industry has contributed immensely to the growth of the Nigerian economy and as such, it is not absurd or strange that those who have contributed to the growth of the economy should want to partake in politics to serve. We have a good relationship with our fans which are the public and the grassroots.

Sometimes people don’t just accept it because they don’t understand why somebody who is playing make-believe on TV should want to rule or serve.

At the end of the day, I can’t speak for everybody but what I do know is everyone is entitled as far as you’re a Nigerian to vote and be voted for.

Many people believe that entertainers are getting into politics because of money?

Granted, yes, there’s money in politics but have you asked yourself one question, is it sand that you use to play politics? The answer is No. What you’re playing politics with is money. I’m not so much into what government is going to be giving as allowance, my idea as a fresh mind is how to harness the resources around me and provide for the people.

Because if I just stick with what government is giving, then I am just going to be like everybody else. But when I harness resources from both home and abroad, harness NGOs, harness non-profit organizations, corporate bodies, private bodies, and bring all into creating social responsibility and social development in the people, then I know I’m achieving something that has not been done before.

That is the major difference I’m bringing in; using me and the platform I have to create a lot and to make so many changes. It’s already started.

You said you’re into politics for the youths?

I didn’t say I was there for the youths, I just said I also represent the youths

Do you have anything special to offer them?

Oh yes, in my constituency, I want to make it a point of duty that in the next two years, every youth as long as you’re a Surulere resident, you’re doing some form of tertiary education. Right now as it stands, we have already gotten admission for a couple of people at the Open University to study.

We also have skills acquisition in that same university, we also have things to offer like nursing abroad. All these are subject to funding which I intend to have from corporate bodies and see how we can interface. There’s a lot that could be done which is the reason why I said you need brighter, fresher, renewable minds that are ready to work.

My plan is to make sure I get people to go learn skills, empower them by getting them shops to realize these skills, get even the banking sector into realizing the SMEs, make sure there’s funding, try to get as many people off the streets as possible

Are you planning to provide jobs for youths or what?

I’m not a job maker but I can make sure that I provide the avenue for which they can work. I can influence things when I become a lawmaker.

Why APC?

It’s the party of change, it’s the party to be in, and it’s the party to realize every dream. Its manifesto has said we are giving more than a million jobs to youths; every unemployed youth is entitled to at least N5, 000 a month.

There’s housing and I’m talking genuine housing, low-cost housing for people, the expansion of Lagos State in terms of housing is one of the things we’re looking at. There’s so much, not just promises but things you know they can do.

A simple example is what you see happening in Osun State which is almost like a blueprint where even children are entitled to lunch; they are entitled to one meal a day from the government. Those are the kinds of social welfare we’re talking about, alleviating the problems and the poverty of people.

This is a party that means change; all I’m asking for is people should get into this boat and seize this opportunity to be in this party because it is indeed the party of change. It is diversified in terms of the people that are members of the party, you couldn’t ask for anything better

Which politician do you admire or aspire to be like?

I admire Raji Fashola for his administrative effort; I admire Tinubu for his strong will and resilience, and I also admire the innovative style of Godswill Akpabio and his energetic mind in nation-building. Those are the three people that motivate me politically

Some people believe there’s no difference between acting and politics..?

(Cuts in) There’s a huge difference. Politics is a game, acting is more real. Politics is a game because you’re dealing with people; it’s a game of life. Acting deals with a way of life but they are distinct in their ways, in their approaches

Many people perceive politics as a dirty game; are they right in your own opinion?

I’ve always felt and I still feel that the Ministry of National Orientation has failed as regards this. I mean in giving people the right orientation as regards politics and violence. They have failed in their duty of sensitizing and giving information to people on how they should conduct themselves in a political dispensation. The orientation should be a continuous thing, not just during elections.

If people have been rightly sensitized that violence is not part of politics, violence would have disappeared in our politics.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/chose-apc-political-party-desmond-elliot/#sthash.3lYKknLO.dpuf

Battle of Congo:Don’t wish Eagles bad because of Keshi — Amun

Former Golden Eaglets coach Fanny Amun has come out from the trenches to ht back at those trying to cause trouble in the house of Nigerian football. A former scribe of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amun, who hails from Edo State remains an unrepentant apostle of the Federal Ministry of Sports. As Nigeria battle Congo today in Point Noire, Amun tells JOHN EGBOKHAN that Nigerians should not wish Eagles bad because of their disposition towards out-of-favour coach Stephen Keshi. 

So much has happened to our football since the exit of Aminu Maigari as President of the Nigeria Football Federation. Is the change of guard good for our football development.

I want to put in on record that despite all the political troubles we had during his time in office that Maigari remains the most successful NFF leader that we have had. His record are there to see that under such an hostile environment he was still able to win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, as well as the Golden Eaglets triumph at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013 as well as numerous other international and continental tournaments.

Maigari was a product of the crisis that took out Sani Lulu, who was also a product of crisis that swallowed Ibrahim Galadima, whose fall was orchestrated by some persons in the Sports Ministry.

s change in the leadership of the NFF as being allegedly masterminded by the Sports Ministry doing our football any good?

In the past, government’s interference was deemed not good for our nation’s football development, by those against government. It is curious to however note people are always quick to point at government’s interference when things don’t go their way, while those who benefit from the system say that it is not government’s interference. So the answer is always going to tilt to the divide to which you belong. The government is a stakeholder in football, so they have a right to jump into the fray.

At the last Elective Congress of the NFF in Warri on September 30, a credible Executive Committee was elected by the delegates and government has endorsed the board as being credible enough to take our football to the next level. This board led by Amaju Pinnick has come to stay. Age and wisdom are on the side of this board. In Pinnick, we have a king, who is young and has a longer lifespan to do well . Nobody can rubbish the tremendous works he has done in Delta State and what he will do in his new capacity in NFF.

Pinnick understudied great minds of Nigerian sports, like the late Patrick Okpomo and Solomon Ogba. He has the wealth of experience to transform our football and I see our football rising again to international prominence under this dispensation.

What is your disposition towards the Appeals Committee sitting on the NFF Elections?

It will be suicidal if anyone, knowingly or unknowingly will try to run back the hand of the clock. In any elections, people will always be angry. They will always cry wolf, blue murder but the thing is that there must be winners and losers in any election process.

It is instructive to note that the Appeals Committee is not bigger than the Executive Committee and that the only organ that can nullify the election in the Congress.

So let reason prevail and let us allow sleeping dogs to live in peace.

Today in Point Noire, Nigeria face the prospects of kissing bye to next year’s Nations Cup. The blame for this ugly scenario is being heaped on Coach Stephen Keshi, who somehow is still in charge of the team, despite massive outcry for his dismissal. Will Keshi not further jeopardize how AFCON chances?

All hell would not break out if we don’t qualify. Keshi is a human being, who has been successful during his time as Eagles coach. People should not wish the team bad because of Keshi. When you go into a match, you either lose, draw or win. Someone is supposed to win today’s match in Congo and my wish is for the Super Eagles to win.

How about the poor results that we have suffered in the last matches, which have made our chances bleak?

Keshi is in charge and part of his duties is to invite players who he feels can do well for Nigeria.

But that has been the issue all through this campaign

It is fair to say he should invite players who are doing well for now. But he will be judged by the results.

And the results have not been exactly favourable for us as we have wobbled and fumbled this far?

I don’t know what you are talking about because the process is not yet over.

As a grassroots coach, are you comfortable with Samson Siasia’s choice to coach the Olympic Eagles team?

He has always been in charge of our youth teams and it is only appropriate that he is in charge. The challenge for him is to produce stars who will form the bulk of the Super Eagles team to the 2018 World Cup in Russis. And he should also win the gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/battle-congodont-wish-eagles-bad-keshi-amun/#sthash.rimlSC7z.dpuf

Boko Haram: Nigerians want hunters not the military

•Local hunters
Photo: AP

The three North eastern states in Nigeria under the ceaseless attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, may not have taken a vote of no-confidence in the Nigerian military. But from all indications, the people are getting fed up with the military’s response to the Boko Haram menace.

And instead, residents of the states believe that it is time they resorted to self help, by engaging the services of their hunters and members of the vigilante groups to fight the Boko haram insurgents.

Residents of Borno state on Friday appealed to the state government to enlist the services of local hunters and vigilantes in liberating towns captured by the Boko Haram insurgents.

A cross section of those interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri said that the state must emulate neigbouring Adamawa by allowing hunters and members of the vigilance groups in the state to assist in tackling the problem.

Alhaji Jubrin Gunda, a legal practitioner in Maiduguri, said the Borno government must take a bold step toward ending the occupation of its towns by insurgents.

Gunda, who is the Secretary, Borno Vigilante Group called Civilian JTF said “it is time for us to act toward recapturing the towns seized by the insurgents.’’

He said he had monitored developments that led to recapturing of the towns by the hunters in Adamawa.

“I have been in constant touch with the Adamawa group because some of our vigilantes are part of the team.

“I monitor the operations from the beginning and I am very proud of them,” Gunda, also a former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Biu branch, said.

He said he was optimistic that the group would recapture Gwoza, Bama and other Borno towns seized by the insurgents once given the opportunity.

Alhaji Ali Mamman, another resident, supported Gunda’s claim, saying that the hunters had previously offered to go after the insurgents in Borno.

He said “some few moths ago, hunters assembled at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri and sought for permission to go after the insurgents in Sambisa but the authorities declined the request.’’

Mamman said the hunters would have overrun the insurgents long ago.

Boko Haram’s Abubakar Shekau

Mr Samuel Jigo, a civil servant, said that the hunters were the only group that could tackle the problem “because they use magical powers.

“The insurgents are also using magic black power, that is why they capture people easily. Since the hunters too have their own black power, it is easy for them to defeat them.’’

The people of Adamawa state meanwhile have lauded the collaborative efforts of vigilance groups, hunters and the military in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in the State.

The commendation was made by a cross section of people who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the recapture of Mubi by the combined team of military, hunters and the civilian JTF.

The residents said such efforts should be encouraged by communities in the North-East to curtail the activities of the insurgents.

“This is good news and we expect more of such collaboration from communities in the North-East,” Fati Husara said.

Nigerian Army

Ahmed Yerima, the Chairman of Hong Local Government, also lauded the collaborative initiative to dislodge the fleeing insurgents from Mubi who entered Hong.

James Ishaku, Rhoda Ezekiel, Shuaibu Musa and Maryam Ibrahim, who are students of tertiary institutions in Mubi, lauded the development and urged government to mobilise youths in the affected areas to form vigilance groups to further assist the military.

Gov. Bala Ngilari of Adamawa had on Thursday announced that the insurgents had been flushed out of Mubi by a combined team of military, hunters and the civilian JTF.

“They were able to go to Mubi and they have flushed out the insurgents who are now fleeing Mubi”, Ngilari said.

He urged the people of Adamawa not to panic but to remain vigilant and pass any relevant security information to the authorities.

NAN reports that Yola is calm, although people from Hong and Gombi local government areas who saw the fleeing insurgents from Mubi passing through their villages are trooping to the capital city.

#Pmnews

El-Rufai, Adebanjo, others beg Bakare to return to politics

Some prominent Nigerians including Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Malam Nasir El-Rufai on Friday urged renowned cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, to return to active politics.

Bakare bowed out of active politics after his election bid as a running mate to the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), in 2011.

Speaking at the launch of Bakare’s biography in Lagos, Adebanjo, also a lawyer, said that Bakare would be doing disservice to Nigeria if he refused to go back to politics.

“Bakare has been wonderful on pulpit, and will be excellent as a leader. Bakare made a point when he joined Buhari for the presidential race in 2011, and they were my choice,” he said.

The elder statesman said that Bakare pursued the issues of Nigeria with much passion, and should not be a bystander.

“Being part of a political decision is very important. We appreciated Bakare so much at the National Conference for his wonderful contributions.

“Bakare’s foray into politics is not for personal aggrandisement. Bakare practises what he preaches. There is no scandal about him. That is the type of man we want in Nigeria,” Adebanjo said.

Also speaking, Nasir El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, described Bakare as a true leader.

He said that Bakare was instrumental to his (El-Rufai’s) foray into politics, and should not back out now. “I met Bakare about five years ago but it is as if I have known him all my life. We have struggled together but, more importantly for me, he has been an inspirational leader,” El-Rufai said.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo said: “Bakare is an epitome of a true leadership. I see him becoming president in Nigeria someday.”

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, represented by his deputy, Mrs Adejoke Orelope–Adefulire, reiterated that leaders must rule or lead by example. “We must always do things with the fear of God. “Bakare led and is still living a truly remarkable life,” he said.

NAN reports that the book, “Moment of Truth”, is based on the life story of Bakare.

It was written by a journalist, Mr Victorson Agnenson. In his remarks, the Biographer (Agnenson), said that Bakare did not tell him to write the book.

“I never met Pastor Bakare one-on-one before the book. I wrote it on my own, and when he saw the manuscript, he adopted it.

“The book is not just about Bakare but about Nigeria and about moving the country forward, and the challenges we have been facing as a country,” he said.

Responding, Bakare said that he would ensure that Nigeria would fulfill its destiny.

“It is part of my destiny; so, I cannot shake off Nigeria from me,” he said.

NAN reports that Chief Segun Osoba, a former Governor of Ogun; Mr Fola Adeola, Chief Femi Okurunmu, Dr Amos Akingba, Mr Yinka Odumakin and Dr Ayo Olude, were among the dignitaries at the event.

Suicide bomber behind Kano petrol station blast, 6 die – Police

Six persons, including three policemen, were killed in a suspected Boko Haram suicide attack at the Magasurku Filling petrol station in northern Nigeria’s biggest city, Kano, police said on Friday.

“A man driving a Toyota Sienna drove into the filling station as if he was going to buy fuel. The vehicle exploded causing six deaths, including three policemen,” the Kano state police commissioner Adelenre Shinaba told reporters.

“It is obviously a suicide attack,” he said of the blast in the Hotoro area of the city and blamed “the terrorists we’ve been battling”, referring to Boko Haram Islamists.

South African police scuffle with MPs after Nkandla vote

Police came to parliament in August after the EFF disrupted a session but did not remove MPs

South African riot police clashed with opposition MPs hours after parliament absolved President Jacob Zuma over the use of some $23m (£14m) of state money to upgrade his private home in Nkandla.

They intervened after opposition MP Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela repeatedly called Mr Zuma a thief.

Four MPs were reportedly injured in the scuffle during the late-night session.

In March, the country's corruption investigator said Mr Zuma had "unduly benefited" from the improvements.

The improvements at Nkandla included a swimming pool and cattle enclosure

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela also accused him of unethical conduct and recommended he repay money used on non-security features in the renovation of his rural home in Nkandla, KwaZulu Natal province, which includes a swimming pool, cattle enclosure and chicken run.

But a parliamentary committee report - passed by a majority of African National Congress (ANC) MPs on Thursday - absolved Mr Zuma of any wrongdoing.

The government has always argued that the work was needed to improve security.

Analysis: BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg

The fighting in parliament can be traced directly to two immediate factors - one is the recent influx of MPs from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. They are unapologetically rowdy and populist, and have energised - not always in a constructive way - an institution that many South Africans, numbed by the ANC's overwhelming majority, had apparently stopped caring about.

The second factor is the scandal about the lavish taxpayer-funded renovations to President Zuma's private home in Nkandla that will not disappear. Although many senior ANC figures have privately expressed deep unease about the issue, the party has publically rallied around the president. The last straw came in the shape of an ad-hoc parliamentary committee that exonerated Mr Zuma of any personal wrongdoing, after opposition members had left it in frustration. The ANC then used its majority to adopt the committee's report on Thursday.

South Africa's opposition is usually divided in parliament - and outside - to the advantage of the ANC. But Nkandla has seen political rivals united against the governing party with unusual vigour and co-ordination. It could be a sign of things to come - an opposition coalition one day strong enough to challenge the ANC's majority.

What brawl reveals about South African democracy

There were heated scenes before the vote, as MPs from several opposition parties attempted to filibuster the session in Cape Town's parliament.

The EFF MPs often wear red workers' overalls in parliament

Ms Mashabela, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, made her comments in one of the debates that followed.

"President Zuma is a thief. He is a criminal. He is the greatest thief in the world," she said.

When she refused to withdraw the statement and refused to be removed from the chamber by an official, the riot police intervened.

By this stage the parliamentary TV feed was cut.

Scuffles broke out between officers on the one side and MPs from the opposition Democratic Alliance and the EFF on the other.

According to South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper, ANC MP Lindiwe Zulu was involved in a brawl with an EFF MP in the corridor outside the chamber before Thursday's debate.

'Racist and fascist'

The ANC criticised the "chaotic circus" and "unruly conduct" of MPs.

"The dangerous alliance of a racist DA and a fascist EFF driven by a common hatred and disdain for the ANC has once again displayed its contempt for our democratic institutions," ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.

On Friday, parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete defended the use of the police.

"We could not sit here in this institution and forever allow disruptions and outrageous conduct of honourable members who have come here not to work as we all do, but to come here and just push the boundaries in the process to rubbish this institution of the people," the South African Press Association quoted her as saying.

The EFF, which calls for radical policies to ease poverty, has 25 MPs in the 400-member parliament. They often wear red workers' overalls or red maids' uniforms in the chamber.

The disabled children locked up in cages

A photograph from 2008 shows how children are put in cages

Continue reading the main story

Disabled people in Greece are often stigmatised and can struggle to get the support they need. Some disabled children who live in a state-run home are locked up in cages - staff say they want to improve conditions but money is short.

Nine-year-old Jenny stands and rocks backwards and forwards, staring through the bars of a wooden cage.

When the door is unlocked she jumps down on to the stone floor and wraps her arms tightly around the nurse. But a few minutes later she allows herself to be locked back in again without a fuss.

She is used to her cage. It's been her home since she was two years old.

Jenny, who has been diagnosed with autism, lives in a state-run institution for disabled children in Lechaina, a small town in the south of Greece, along with more than 60 others, many of whom are locked in cells or cages.

Fotis, who is in his twenties and has Down's syndrome, sleeps in a small cell separated from the other residents by ceiling-high wooden bars and a locked gate. His cell is furnished only with a single bed. There are no personal possessions in sight anywhere in the centre.

"Are we going on a trip?" is this wiry young man's hopeful refrain whenever he sees anyone new. But with barely six members of staff caring for more than 65 residents there is rarely an opportunity to leave the centre.

Some of the wooden partitions have been painted in bright colours

In the small staff room, an array of closed circuit TV screens flicker, permanently tuned into the large wooden boxes that dominate the upstairs rooms.

The poor conditions first came to the attention of the authorities five years ago when a group of European graduates spent several months at the centre as volunteers.

Catarina Neves, a Portuguese psychology graduate was among them.

Continue reading the main story

"On the first day there I was completely shocked… I could never have imagined that we would have this situation in a modern European country but I was even more surprised that the staff were behaving like it was normal," she says.

The volunteers wrote up their experiences in a document that they sent to politicians, European Union officials, and every human rights and disability rights organisation they could find. Occasionally they received replies thanking them for their email without any promise of action but mostly they were ignored.

Then in 2010 the volunteers' testimony came to the attention of the Greek ombudsman for the rights of the child who visited the centre and published a damning report in which he highlighted, "the degrading living conditions… the deprivation of care and support provided, the use of sedating medication, children being strapped to their beds, the use of wooden cage-beds for children with learning disabilities, the electronic surveillance, as well as the fact that such practices constitute violations of human rights."

He also referred to the fact that there had been several deaths at the centre due to a lack of supervision. A 15-year-old died in 2006 after choking on an object he had accidentally swallowed. Ten months later when a 16-year-old died, the post-mortem examination revealed his stomach was full of pieces of fabric, thread and bandages.

The residents, shown here in 2008, have no personal belongings in the home

It was after these incidents that management of the centre decided that the staffing levels made it impossible to protect the children from harm. Their solution was to have the cages custom built for the residents.

However the ombudsman's report concluded that the cages and any practices employing long-term restraints "are clearly illegal and are in direct contradiction with the obligation for respect and protection of the human rights of the residents," and he urged the Greek government to take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

But after almost five years the only changes are superficial.

Some of the wooden bars have been painted and funding was found to turn the day room into a soft-play area - but there is still no-one to engage with the residents, who sit alone in the room on plastic mats rocking and staring at the walls while an assistant watches from the doorway.

There is only one nurse and one assistant per floor responsible for more than 20 residents - there is no permanent doctor at the centre.

When residents need to go to hospital, they are accompanied by one of the nurses which means more than 20 residents are left in the care of just one person.

A child being fed through the bars of his bed in 2008

"On a nightshift I was often left alone with three assistants, who are not even nurses, to care for more than 60 patients. If there were any medical problems with the children there was no one to ask for help except God," says a senior nurse who recently retired from the centre and spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity.

She says the cages were necessary. "We fought to have those caged beds built to give the children more freedom. Before that the residents were permanently tied by their arms and legs to their beds.

"Anyway, the children are used to them now. They like them."

Local doctor George Gotis who has been volunteering his services at the centre for more than two decades also sees the cages in a positive light.

"I believe this is one of the best institutions for disabled children not only Greece but in Europe," he says.

"Many of these profoundly disabled children have lasted far beyond their average life expectancy and these expensive caged beds, which were built to help protect them from injuring themselves, have played a big role in that."

The new director of the centre Gina Tsoukala, who has not been paid for nearly a year, says she can't quit because she feels she owes it to the residents to stay and fight their cause.

"Obviously we shouldn't have cages here but it is impossible for us to manage without them when we have such low levels of staff."

"Some of the residents have self-destructive tendencies or are quarrelsome and so on the advice of a doctor we have to use these wooden partitions. But the children are still free to communicate and to some degree to interact with each other."

Gina Tsoukala, director of the centre

At lunchtime the children who are behind bars are fed inside their cages.

The director says only the very basic needs of the children can be covered by her staff. In one shift a nurse and assistant have to change the nappies of more than 20 residents, hose them down, spoon feed them and medicate them.

"We are doing everything we can but we do not have the resources to give anything else," says Tsoukala.

"More than two thirds of these children have been abandoned by their families and we do not have the time to give them the emotional support we would like, nor to give them the individual care they deserve."

But arguing that the cages are there for the safety of the children is wrong, says Steven Allen, of The Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) - an international human rights organisation for people with mental disabilities.

"The cages are there to protect the staff not the children," he says. "They are based on a model of care that is about coercion, restriction and making people with disabilities easy to manage, not treating them as human beings with rights.

"Being kept in a cage is seriously detrimental to the psychological health of patients, has no therapeutic value and can actually be physically dangerous. There have been cases [elsewhere] where the bars of cages have fallen on to patients and killed them," he says.

The MDAC says the only other countries which currently use similar caged beds are the Czech Republic and Romania.

The head of the Association for Families and People with Disabilities in Ilia, the local prefecture, Ioannis Papadatos, has his office in a huge state of the art centre designed to cater for people with disabilities.

Ioannis Papadatos with his son at a deserted centre for people with disabilities

Complete with swimming pool, physiotherapy and speech therapy facilities, and a large number of flats for semi-independent living, it was built with EU funds. But today it sits empty because the Greek state can't afford to staff it.

Ioannis Papadatos used to be on the board of trustees for the children's centre at Lechaina until last year. He says he battled to make conditions better at the centre - two girls with autism now go to a special school for a few hours a day.

But for many residents he says, "The only time they will really be released is when they die."

This is a subject close to his heart. His first child, 24-year-old Andonis, was born with Down's syndrome.

Andonis has visited the centre with his father and seen people with similar conditions to his own living behind bars. When asked about it he visibly shivers.

"Oh, don't talk about it! It gives me the chills," he says.

Sociable and confident, Andonis is unusual in that he was raised by parents who were proud of him and encouraged him to live as independent a life as possible, in a country where disability is still stigmatised.

Gina Tsoukala says the mothers of some of the residents do not even know of their existence. She believes that in some cases, when disabled children were born, the father and hospital conspired to tell the mother the baby had died.

There are about a dozen centres for disabled children and adults in Greece but getting access to them is difficult and it is unclear what conditions are like inside each of them. The BBC's requests to visit other institutions in Athens and Sidirokastro, in the north of Greece were refused.

But there are plans to improve the institution at Lechaina and other similar homes, says Efi Bekou, the general secretary in charge of welfare at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare

"At the moment there are 12 centres for disabled children and adults around Greece but we are opening increasing numbers of homes in the community and hope to eventually close all big institutions."

She says the economic crisis means that the Greek state is bound to rules set by its lenders in the EU and IMF, including a moratorium on hiring new staff - as a result, she says, it would be impossible to employ the number of staff needed at the centre.

But while she says the government is discussing the children's situation she admits, "I can't give you an exact time line for when those children will be transferred out of that institution."

The names of the children in this article have been changed.

By Chloe HadjimatheouBBC World Service