Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has said love and marriage remain sacred institutions, stressing that they only become fraudulent when people enter relationships with hidden financial motives.

Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin that went viral on Friday, the actor criticised the growing trend of treating romantic relationships as a means of financial gain.

According to Ike, love is inherently beautiful, but it becomes problematic when one partner enters a relationship with undisclosed expectations of financial or material benefits from the other.

“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.

He described such behavior as deception and urged Nigerians to be sincere in their dealings.

Ike noted that many young women now go into relationships mainly to gain financially from men.

He argued that it would be more honest for people with such motives to seek help directly instead of disguising financial interest as romance.

Emeka added, “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.

“So plenty of girls are going to relationship because of what they want to get, wetin dey wan collect from the man.

“They should just go and be doing bambiala and be begging for money. Not using relationship. Relationship is supposed to be sacred.”

He stressed that love should be the foundation of every successful relationship.

He called on Nigerians to stop pretending to be in love and to stop reducing marriage to transactions.

“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 said. EITIValidation Support

The actor also spoke on social media’s influence on modern marriages, advising women not to model their homes after relationships they see online, saying every marriage is unique.

He explained that healthy relationships require patience, understanding, communication, and the willingness to support a partner through challenges.

“Good girls, no listen to them. Because na the life them they live be that, they come they make am look like say everybody suppose dey do. Na lie.

“People endure in relationship. People try to find out the problem of their spouse in relationship. People try to solve it. People tell their spouses their problems wey them no know. And the spouse will, like, logically comply. How do you know? Because you have been following him mentally, and you know how to help him or help her.”

Ike warned that most of the failed marriages people see online do not represent reality, and urged women to focus on building their own homes rather than comparing them to others.

“Make Nigerian girls cool down. No dey listen to those women wey their marriage don scatter, na them full online.

“No take am go meet your husband for house, go dey follow am up say ‘them say’, nobody say anything. Your own relationship cannot be the same thing with that other man. Lai lai, they are not. E fit resemble but no be the same thing.”

He concluded that Nigerians must protect the integrity of love and marriage by approaching them with honesty and commitment.