rismadarvoice reporters
july 6, 2026
Veteran Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike has condemned the growing trend of entering romantic relationships for financial gain, describing the practice as a form of “romantic scam.”
Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, the actor said some women deliberately go into relationships with the primary aim of collecting money from unsuspecting men, insisting that such behaviour amounts to fraud.
According to him, genuine love and marriage should never be used as a means of making money.
“Love and marriage are not a scam. But there are a few hungry people who are using relationships as meal tickets. That’s where it becomes a scam,” he said.
Ike explained that love is meaningful when both partners are sincere about their feelings, but becomes deceptive when one party is motivated by hidden financial intentions.
“Love is beautiful. If you find someone who genuinely likes you, it’s very sweet. But when you are liking him or her for an end they are not aware of, that’s a scam,” he stated.
The actor urged women who date solely for financial benefits to seek other means of survival rather than misleading people in the name of love.
“A lot of girls are going into relationships because of what they want to get from the man. They should join street begging instead of using relationships to raise money,” he said.
He further stressed that relationships should remain sacred and be built on genuine affection rather than financial expectations.
“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 to raise money. ” Relationships shouldn’t be a source of income,” Ike added.
