Media personality and actress Toke Makinwa has revealed that a painful experience from one of her past relationships changed the way she approaches gift-giving in romantic relationships.
Speaking on a recent episode of her podcast, Toke Moments, where reality TV star Beauty Tukura was a guest, Makinwa disclosed that she no longer buys gifts for men she is romantically involved with.
She traced the decision back to an experience she had as an undergraduate while dating a man who was significantly older than her.
According to the 41-year-old, she once spent her university semester’s school fees to celebrate the birthday of a boyfriend who was 10 years older than her.
She recalled taking him to an Italian restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos, where he reportedly ordered extensively from the menu.
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However, what happened after their dinner left her devastated. Makinwa said she later discovered that the man had been unfaithful when they returned to his home and she found another woman there.
She said: “I stopped buying men gifts after I dated a man who was 10 years older than me. I spent my university semester’s school fees to celebrate his birthday and took him to an Italian restaurant in Victoria Island.
She added: “He ordered everything on the menu. When we got home… there was another woman in his house. That broke me.”
Eelive.ng reported on July 23, 2026, that the media personality and entrepreneur had advised young people against rushing into marriage in their 20s, arguing that many people are still trying to understand themselves and figure out what they truly want at that stage of life.
