Single Women at Age 33 Facing ‘State of Emergency’ in Quest for Marriage- Renowed Nigeria Actor

Renowned Nigerian actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has raised alarm over the societal pressures faced by single women who have reached the age of 33, describing their situation as a “state of emergency” due to the growing urgency to settle down.

In a recent interview with News Central, Kanayo discussed how many women in their 20s, especially those in university, often prioritise relationships with wealthy older men—sometimes married—while turning down younger suitors with genuine intentions.

He explained that these women, impressed by the material benefits such as cars and houses provided by these older men, often view themselves as living a high-status lifestyle, rejecting potential long-term partners.

“Some girl will be in the university at 18, 19, or 20; she starts dating a very rich guy, sometimes, very old too,” Kanayo explained. “Then what you see along the line is that because the guy is very rich and probably married, she refuses the advances of other younger people because the guy has either gotten her a car and a house. So to her, she’s operating on a very high level.”

Kanayo further elaborated on how this lifestyle can continue into a woman’s mid-20s, eventually leading to a lack of serious marriage prospects by the time she reaches her late 20s and early 30s.

He noted that while some women continue dating wealthy men into their 30s, they often find themselves unmarried by the time they reach 29 or 30, with many younger men no longer finding them attractive.

“From 22, she goes on to 24, and maybe even if she quarrels with this guy, she gets the next guy. And before you know it, she turns 25, 26, unmarried because she refuses the advances of younger prospective husbands,” Kanayo said. “She gets into 29, 30; by that time she had left the university, and men are no longer finding her that attractive.”

The actor emphasised the urgency that many women feel as they approach their 30s, often turning to prayers for a life partner.

He described how the perception of a single woman’s situation evolves as she gets older, stating that at 28, many women start to “become a prayer point,” and by 33, they are in a “state of emergency” as the possibility of marriage becomes increasingly slim.

“At 23, she’s a flex. At 28, she becomes a prayer point. After 33, she’s declared a state of emergency. Because husbands will not come at that level of 33 years. Some of them get to 35 unmarried. And they still think that they are having fun. They are not having fun. They are now in a state of emergency praying that God brings anyone,” Kanayo warned.