Nollywood veteran Emeka Ike has delivered a fiery message on modern relationships, passionately declaring that love and marriage remain beautiful but warning that some women are turning them into transactional scams for financial gain.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the actor expressed strong views on what he sees as a growing trend of pretense in Nigerian relationships.
“Love and marriage is not a scam but there are a few people that are hungry and using relationships as meal tickets. That’s where it becomes a scam,” Emeka Ike stated firmly.
He urged women entering relationships with hidden agendas to be honest instead of pretending.
“Plenty girls are going into relationships because of what they want to collect from the man. They should just go and be doing Bambiala and begging on the street instead,” he added.
The actor emphasised that genuine love should be the foundation, not financial expectations.
“Relationships are meant to be sacred and love is the foundation — the pillar of every relationship. Let’s stop messing it up in Nigeria with pretense,” he continued.
Emeka Ike acknowledged that both genders can be guilty but focused his message on women, advising “good girls” not to follow the example of those whose marriages have failed and who dominate online spaces with negative narratives.
He highlighted the beauty of mutual support in healthy relationships:
“People endure in relationships, they try to find out and solve the problems of their partners… It’s not just about money.”
The video has sparked intense reactions online, with many agreeing that transactional dynamics have overtaken genuine connection in today’s economy, while others criticised the generalisation of women and called for balance in addressing issues from both sides.