Singer Aituaje Iruobe, widely known as Waje, has shared her experience of getting pregnant at 16 and raising her daughter as a single mother after the child’s father refused to take responsibility.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast, Waje recounted the emotional and practical challenges of being a teenage mother, revealing that she managed to conceal her pregnancy from her mother until she was five months along.
She added that when her mother approached the boy’s family, he completely denied having anything to do with the pregnancy.
“I was 16. I didn’t tell my mom until about five months. My mom had gone to his family and said, okay, so your son and my daughter… and he was like, no, it’s not him,” she said.
Years later, Waje said the man resurfaced from Canada, claiming he had been young and wanted to meet his daughter.
Speaking further, Waje said she resisted, citing concerns over his stability and potential to disrupt her child’s life.
“Many times when fathers or mothers are protecting their child, it’s because you already know that this person is not stable. This person can come and destabilise the life of the child,” she said.
She also revealed they discussed doing a DNA test, but he kept delaying it.
“He agreed, and I waited and waited. Nine months passed, then years, and he still didn’t do it,” she said.
By the time her daughter turned 18, it was too late for him to file for her.
“She turned 18 and you can’t file for a child at 18. I was mad because now she’s in university and I’m paying school fees in dollars. You can’t be calling me to say you want to send $200. We could have avoided all this,” she said.
The singer added her main focus has always been her daughter’s well-being and giving her the best opportunities in life.
Waje said: “I had always said that my daughter would get the best education that I can afford. So I told him, “You are a citizen, file for your child.”