Nigerian singer Aituaje Iruobe, better known by her stage name Waje, has shared a deeply personal story about becoming a mother at just 16 and raising her daughter on her own after the child’s father denied responsibility.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast, the award-winning vocalist revisited the painful chapter of her teenage years, describing it as one of the most challenging periods of her life.
She revealed that she kept the pregnancy a secret from her mother until she was five months along.
“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,” Waje recounted.
According to her, the denial left her mother heartbroken and forced her to navigate motherhood alone at an age when most of her peers were still figuring out their paths.
Years later, Waje said the man resurfaced from Canada, claiming he had been young and wanted to reconnect with his daughter. But by then, the singer had built a stable life for her child and was unwilling to risk it.
“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.
“I got pregnant when I was 16 years old and I didn’t tell my parents till the pregnancy got to 5 months. The owner of the pregnancy rejected me and the baby at the time but came back later when he was ok to claim the child and I kicked against it…….” – Waje 🥹 pic.twitter.com/GzPuAmiD9p
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) November 3, 2025
The singer further revealed that she had urged him to take legal steps to ensure their daughter could benefit from his citizenship.
“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.’ He agreed, and I waited and waited. Nine months passed, then years, and he still didn’t do it,” she explained.
By the time their daughter turned 18, it was already too late for him to file.
“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,” Waje added.
Through the pain and lessons, Waje said her greatest motivation has always been her daughter’s happiness and future.
She emphasized that every decision she has made from her career moves to her sacrifices has been rooted in love and the desire to give her child the best opportunities possible.
“… The dream of every mother and father is for your child to have a better life than you.”
Waje and her daughter, Emerald are so cute 🥰 pic.twitter.com/xdBYzVGbuS
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) November 3, 2025