Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has weighed in on the issue of dating for financial benefits, describing it as a "romantic scam."

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, the actor urged ladies who date for money to consider street-begging instead.

Ike stated that love and marriage are not scams, but when people enter relationships with hidden financial motives, it becomes fraudulent.

He argued that love is beautiful when genuine, but when one partner is unaware of the other's agenda, it is wrong. He also stressed that relationships should be sacred and not a source of income.

He said:
"Love and marriage is not scam. But there are a few hungry people who are using relationship as meal tickets. That's where it becomes a scam.

"Love is beautiful. If you find someone who genuinely likes you, it's very sweet. But when you are liking him or her for an end they are not aware of, that's a scam.

"A lot of girls are going into relationships because what they want to get from the man. They should just join street-begging instead of using relationship to raise money.

"Relationship is supposed to be sacred. Love is the pillar of every good relationship. Let's stop messing it up in Nigeria. Let's stop pretending that we are in love just to raise money. Relationship shouldn't be a source of income."