Media personality Toke Makinwa has sparked conversation online after sharing her views on the emotional intelligence of many Nigerian men.
Speaking during a recent episode of the MENtality podcast hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Makinwa argued that a significant number of Nigerian men rely heavily on financial provision as their main contribution to relationships, often neglecting emotional connection and communication.
According to her, the widespread belief that Nigerian women are overly materialistic is partly a result of how some men approach relationships.
She suggested that many men equate generosity with affection and assume that offering money is enough to win a woman’s interest or maintain a relationship.
Makinwa noted that in her experience, some men quickly resort to financial gestures instead of investing time in getting to know a potential partner.
“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. 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,” she stated.
She added that this behaviour has contributed to a culture where material expectations have become common in modern relationships.
The actress further claimed that many women learned to prioritise material benefits because they were repeatedly shown by men that money was the most valuable thing being offered.
Her remarks have since generated mixed reactions on social media, with some agreeing that emotional intelligence is often overlooked in relationships, while others argued that her comments unfairly generalised Nigerian men.