Ike and Mercy: When a Beautiful Love Story Ends Sadly

Anytime an edition of the Big Brother Naija reality show starts, new couples would emerge but the crux of the matter is that their relationships don't last. Most of them even end up being worst enemies after the show. The second edition had Thing Tall Tony and Bisola cozying up to each other, but today, it's not certain if they are in talking terms. In the third season, we had Tobi and Cee-C, Miracle and Nina, Lolu and Anto all loving each other; they are nowhere to be found around each other anymore except Teddy A and Bambam of the same set who successfully got married. So when I hear the romance stories of the reality show, I just turn a blind eye to it because they are simply so volatile. Most of the people that end up finding solace in each other are not meant to be. What we see on the TV screens is what they call 'locational feelings'. Their minds get conditioned after they must have been shut out of the outside world and they start to develop undue feelings for the available people.

When the last edition started, Ike Onyema and Mercy Eke slowly started dating each other. They almost looked like a fantastic couple and the fact that they have a similar tribal background made them look like a perfect pair. But in actual sense, they belonged to different worlds. Ike was a US returnee trying to chart a new course in his life in the area of modelling. His family is quite successful and he looked too relaxed and soft for the rigours of economic uncertainties in Nigeria. Mercy on the other hand was battling to flee economic hardship by all means. She hails from a poor family background and she once revealed how she engaged in petty trade to contribute a quota to family sustenance and survival. She had attempted to join the reality show severally but was turned down. She was nicknamed 'Lambo' due to her admiration of a car brand, Lamborghini which some of the most successful men in the world find needlessly too expensive to afford. Things must have changed for her when she dated a former Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike. Ever since their romance ended, she made up her mind to attain stardom, hence, her decision to be a part of the last edition of the BBNaija reality show which she won. Rumours have it that she invested over 2 million to surgically enhance her derriere for obvious reasons.

In summary of Mercy's personality, she just wanted to experience the sweet things of life. After the show, it soon seemed that Ike that was acting like a bodyguard around her was an impediment to her success. The story of Ike stealing BetNaija coins, winning others and handing everything over to Mercy to secure her immunity against eviction during the reality show since faded away.

In no time, Mercy and Ike parted ways. She started hanging around the big boys like Paul Okoye, Cubana Chiefpriest and lately Willie Xo. She has also been flaunting exotic cars and houses on social media to show that she has arrived. The trending news about her lately is her trip to London to meet Willie Xo who has an inexplicable source of wealth. Both parties have been seen in questionable positions suggesting that they are dating and people have been asking about the whereabouts of Ike.

This appears to be the kind of life Mercy has always craved for as a young girl of 26 years but we hope she isn't making a mistake. Willie Xo whose musical career struggles more than the Nigerian economy is taking full advantage of the situation. He has always loved to be given attention. He tried to seize the beef between rappers MI and Vector to build his profile by proposing a rap battle with big money on the table. He has been doing giveaways on social media to build his page. Rumours have it that he also pays some major blogs to report news about his. The clout-chase is very real.

The positive side of the story is that Mercy and Ike usually referred to as 'Merike' don't have any feud between them. They have moved on to the next chapter of their lives like nothing ever happened. They only dated for the moment, they never critically looked at the future to solve the puzzle and know if they truly fit. This is a love story that started well but ended in severe pains.