Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has criticised relationships motivated by financial gain, describing the practice as a form of “romantic scam.”
Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, the actor said some women enter relationships primarily to obtain money from their partners, a practice he likened to fraud.
According to Ike, genuine love should be the foundation of every relationship, warning that pretending to be in love for financial benefits undermines the sanctity of relationships.
“Love and marriage are not scams. But there are a few hungry people who are using relationships as meal tickets. That’s where it becomes a scam,” he said.
He added that relationships should not be used as a means of generating income, urging those whose sole intention is to seek financial support from partners to abandon the practice.
“Love is beautiful. If you find someone who genuinely likes you, it’s very sweet. But when you like someone for an end they are not aware of, that’s a scam,” Ike said.
The actor argued that some women deliberately enter relationships because of the financial benefits they expect to receive, saying they should seek other legitimate means of making a living instead of deceiving unsuspecting partners.
“A lot of girls are going into relationships because of what they want to get from the man. They should just join street-begging instead of using relationships to raise money,” he said.
He stressed that relationships are meant to be sacred and built on mutual affection, urging Nigerians to stop pretending to be in love solely for financial gain.
“Relationship is supposed to be sacred. Love is the pillar of every good relationship. Let’s stop messing it up in Nigeria. Let’s stop pretending that we are in love just to raise money. Relationship shouldn’t be a source of income,” he added.
