Nollywood actor Daniel Etim-Effiong has candidly discussed his romantic past, acknowledging a brief period of dating multiple women while sharing valuable lessons learned from those experiences.

During a revealing interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, the engineer-turned-actor reflected on what he described as a phase of “exploration” in his dating life. When pressed about whether he had been a womanizer, Etim-Effiong provided a nuanced response.

“It depends on what is your definition of a womanizer,” he initially replied. When Chude clarified the definition as “a man who dates multiple women at the same time,” the actor admitted there may have been such periods in his life, though he emphasized they were brief.

“Maybe there was a time in my life I was… I wouldn’t say for long periods of my life. Maybe for some certain periods that I explored,” he acknowledged.

Rather than viewing these experiences with regret, Etim-Effiong characterized them as educational. “They were periods of learning for me. If I learned, then they were good periods,” he explained.

“I learned that certain things don’t necessarily bring you the fulfillment that you think they would. On paper, it feels like that is the life, but experientially maybe not” he stated.

Drawing from his experiences, Etim-Effiong now counsels young people about the dangers of developing patterns that could harm future relationships. His advice is particularly pointed about the lasting effects of certain behaviors.
“I tell young people a lot that it is cool to be a player, but if you develop that habit or lifestyle, you won’t automatically change overnight,” he warned. “Don’t develop something you don’t want to continue for the rest of your life.”
He emphasized how dating patterns can persist into marriage, explaining that the ability to commit requires development like a muscle. “If you are not able to commit to one person, if you jump from one relationship to another, that won’t automatically change when you marry,” he cautioned.
The actor painted a vivid picture of how these patterns might manifest in marriage: “When you marry, that muscle hasn’t been developed, so you encounter one challenge and you want to immediately jump, or you just be like, ‘I’m talking to you, you are not listening to me, let me find somebody that would listen to me.’”

Etim-Effiong’s journey to marriage with his wife Toyosi began with disappointment but led to unexpected fulfillment. He revealed that his readiness for marriage coincided with a relationship that wasn’t heading in the same direction.
“I think two things came together to prepare me to marry my wife. At that time in my life, I was tired of dealing with several relationships,” he shared. However, when he approached his then-girlfriend about marriage, she declined, citing plans for graduate school in the United States and her reluctance to be “tied down.”
“I was disappointed like, what is she talking about? We could do so many things together. At that time, I was ready for marriage,” he recalled. His direct approach to relationships had become clear: “Anyone who was with me at that time had to answer the question, ‘Do you want to get married?’”
Meeting His Future Wife
The timing proved fortuitous when Etim-Effiong returned to Nigeria for a project where Toyosi served as production manager. Though they had been in contact previously, their in-person meeting in Nigeria marked the beginning of their romantic relationship.
“It was her first job in Nigeria when she came back from New York. And then we met, and we started to talk. I had a long conversation with her. I told her that I really want to get married, and she said, ‘Let’s do it,’” he recounted with evident satisfaction.
The couple’s relationship moved swiftly from that point. They married in November 2017, just one year after meeting, and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in January 2019. Their story demonstrates how clarity about one’s intentions, combined with the right timing and partner, can lead to lasting happiness.