Lola Idije: don't rush young women into marriage, some marry at 40 or 50
- Veteran actress Lola Idije says some women are meant to marry later in life, in their 40s or 50s.
- She defended single mothers on the Africanlist Podcast, saying many raise children alone through no choice of their own.
- She warned that pushing women to marry at 20 can lead them into the wrong marriage.
Veteran Nollywood actress Toyin Afolayan, known to fans as Lola Idije, has asked families and society to stop rushing young women into marriage, saying some women are meant to settle down much later, in their 40s or even 50s.
She spoke on the Africanlist Podcast, according to reports by Daily Post and Leadership.
The actress also took on the stigma that follows single mothers, saying a woman who raises her children without a husband is not automatically irresponsible.
Her point was simple: not every woman who raises children alone planned it that way. Some simply find themselves carrying a load they never asked for.
On the podcast, she said a husband is not guaranteed to every woman, so some end up bearing the work of raising children by themselves, and not by their own choosing.
She questioned why anyone would be certain that a woman married off at 20 has picked the right partner, asking: “If you start pressuring them at 20, how can you be sure that they won’t marry the wrong person?”
Why it matters to Nigerian families
Marriage pressure is a familiar story in many Nigerian homes. Parents, relatives and even neighbours often push young women to marry early, and a woman who reaches her late 20s without a husband can face open questions and gossip.
Single mothers often carry a heavier share of that stigma, even when they are the ones paying school fees, feeding the home and keeping the children in school.
Idije's comments touch on a debate many Nigerian women know well: whether a woman's worth should be tied to when, or whether, she marries.
She also spoke about motherhood, saying women become softer once they start having children.
The two outlets reported the same remarks from the podcast, with no conflicting details.
What happens next
There is no policy or official action attached to her comments. They add to a growing public conversation about marriage pressure and how single mothers are treated in Nigerian society.
