Popular media personality Toke Makinwa has sparked intense conversations across social media platforms after sharing her candid views on the emotional intelligence of Nigerian men.
Speaking during a recent episode of the MENtality podcast hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Makinwa argued that a significant number of local men rely heavily on financial provision as their primary contribution to relationships.
She stressed that this heavy focus on money often comes at the complete expense of genuine emotional connection, deep intimacy, and healthy communication between partners.
According to her, the widespread stereotype that Nigerian women are overly materialistic is actually a direct byproduct of how some men choose to approach romance.
She suggested that many men inherently equate generosity with affection, mistakenly assuming that throwing money at a woman is entirely enough to secure her interest or sustain a relationship.
Makinwa noted from her personal experience that some men quickly resort to flashy financial gestures instead of investing real time in getting to know a potential partner on a deeper level.
“From time immemorial, a relationship between a man and a woman has always been transactional, right from the Garden of Eden, right from our parents’ days,” she stated.
She further claimed, “And the degree at which it is happening now, I will blame the men. Sometimes, that [financial benefits] is all men have to offer. Nigerian men don’t have games aside from money. Once a Nigerian man makes money, he starts throwing it at the hottest girls. Sometimes, you meet a man and you want to know him but he is offering you money. Men have offered women the strangest things and it made me realise that men feel cash is all they need to show you. Most girls who are materialistic today, men taught them how to make demands.”
The actress concluded that women learned to prioritise material benefits because they were repeatedly shown by men that money was the single most valuable asset on the table.
