Oga Obinna questions why society celebrates women for moving on but shames men
By Steve Ireri, August 26, 2025Comedian and media personality Steve Maghana, alias Oga Obinna, has questioned why men are often condemned while women are celebrated when both make the same choice of moving on from long relationships.
In a reflective video shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Obinna said the world has been loudly championing equality, with the call being that women and men should be accorded the same treatment in all spaces.
“There is a conversation I really want us to have, and I really want us to have an open mind while we discuss this. So the world has been pro-equality, which is a good thing, by the way. The way a woman is treated is the way a man should be treated. No problem with that,” he said.
He noted, however, that this principle often seems to collapse when it comes to the aftermath of relationships, particularly where children and years of commitment are involved.
He painted a picture of a couple that has lived together for a decade, raised children, and eventually separated. If the man leaves and finds another partner, Obinna observed, the internet quickly brands him a narcissist, egocentric, abusive, or someone who wasted the woman’s time.
“But how come the consequences of situations that we do are only pulled on the boy child? Let me paint a picture. If a man and a woman are living together and they are married for around 10 years and they have a bunch of kids, then something happens and they break up, I don’t want to say what led to the breakup because, you know, when people break up, everybody will say the side of the story that will make them look good,” he added.
He said the narrative often frames him as the villain who used, abandoned, and betrayed the woman.
“So the man leaves, finds another lady, moves in with her, and moves on with life. Online, it will be said that the man used the woman. Imagine, after impregnating her and living with her for five or ten years, he dumped her, and he is narcissistic, egocentric, and abusive, whatever, all these names will be said.”
Reverse situation
Obinna contrasted this with the reverse situation, where the woman leaves after the same length of time, finds another partner, and starts afresh.
In that case, he said, society hails her as a strong woman who has chosen herself, rediscovered her worth, and pursued love on her own terms. He lamented that while the actions are identical, the judgments are dramatically different.
“The same situation with a girlfriend: living together for 10 years, having kids, and the lady leaves the man and gets married to another person. Online, people will say she is thriving, that she chose herself.”
He said such perspectives expose a cultural bias where men are condemned for moving on while women are celebrated, even though both are making the same choice of beginning again. He questioned why society is quick to strip men of dignity in the name of accountability while extending empowerment narratives to women in similar circumstances.
“They will say, as a woman, you need to go find yourself and your space. They will say she did the right thing and chose love. Why? I don’t understand why you won’t say the man chose love also. It’s just the same. When a man leaves, I don’t get it, the man is put on the spot, but people will say ‘go girl.’ Why do we reason like this? Why can’t we have equality?”