Media personality Toke Makinwa has stirred debate after claiming that many Nigerian men rely more on money than emotional connection when building relationships.
Speaking on the MENtality Podcast, hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Makinwa argued that financial provision has become the primary way many men express affection, often at the expense of meaningful communication and emotional intelligence.
She said the perception that Nigerian women are overly materialistic is partly driven by men’s approach to dating, noting that many believe offering money is enough to attract or sustain a relationship.
According to her, rather than investing time in getting to know a potential partner, some men are quick to make financial offers, reinforcing the idea that money is their strongest bargaining tool.
“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,” she said.
Makinwa added, “Sometimes, that is all men have to offer. Nigerian men don’t have game 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.”
She further argued that repeated exposure to such behaviour has shaped the expectations of many women, saying men have conditioned women to prioritise financial benefits in relationships.
“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 said.
Her remarks have since generated widespread reactions on social media, with users divided over whether financial generosity has become a substitute for emotional connection in many modern relationships.
