VIDEO: Love isn’t a scam, dating for money is - Emeka Ike

Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has asserted that love and marriage are not inherently scams. He believes relationships only turn fraudulent when individuals harbor hidden financial motives. In an interview with BBC News Pidgin, Ike emphasized that genuine love is beautiful and should be founded on sincerity, not selfish interests or monetary expectations.

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No, love and marriage is not scam, but there are a few people that are hungry, that are using relationship as a meal ticket. That’s where it becomes a scam.

"Love is beautiful. Relationship is beautiful. To find a person who will like you, oh wow, na sweet matter," he said. Ike explained that some people treat relationships as a means of survival, a behavior he described as deceptive. He elaborated that a relationship becomes a scam when one partner conceals their true intentions or desires from the other.

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Love is beautiful. Relationship is beautiful. To find a person who will like you, oh wow, na sweet matter.

The actor urged Nigerians to stop pretending to be in love for personal gain, stating, "Love is a foundation. Love is the pillar of every good relationship. Let’s stop messing it up in Nigeria. Let’s stop pretending that we’re in love." He also advised women not to allow social media to shape their expectations of marriage, stressing that each relationship is unique and requires patience, understanding, and mutual support. He encouraged them to focus on building their own marriages instead of comparing them with relationships portrayed online.

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But when you are liking him for an end that he’s not aware of, that is a scam. Or when you’re liking her for a back end wey she no know say na wetin you like her for, na the scam be that.