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By Rita Okoye
Prominent Nigerian media personality and podcaster, Toke Makinwa, has finally shared the story behind the secret arrival of her daughter, Yakira Eliana, a few months ago.
Breaking her silence, the former radio presenter revealed the reasons behind her decision to keep her pregnancy private and how the journey profoundly reshaped her life and perspective.
“Becoming a mum recently changed me in so many ways. My child is healing my inner child. I don’t really know how to explain it, but watching my child grow everyday is a healing aspect of myself that I didn’t realise needed healing. It now makes sense to me, because I believe that life is lived forward and understood backwards. Looking back, I now know why my pregnancy was kept a secret and why my journey happened the way it did. I felt like I needed that time to connect with myself,” she said.
Addressing the stark realities of new parenthood, Makinwa spoke candidly about the challenges, emphasising the need for support and self-compassion.
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“Motherhood will humble you. It will teach you that you cannot do it all by yourself. You are dealing with lack of sleep, trying to feed the baby, and mental health. However, having my child is still the most beautiful, most rewarding, and most humbling experience I have ever had in my life. Your life is going to be better, trust me.”
When offering advice to new mothers, the media girl highlighted a modern, technologically-driven approach to parenting, advocating for the utility of social media platforms.
“We, the 2025 mothers, are raising our child on ChatGPT, TikTok, and other social media apps. Just type ‘mum content’ on TikTok, and you will see a lot of information. People are building motherhood communities and circles. Social media helped me a lot during my pregnancy journey.”
Makinwa further revealed the thoughtful process behind her daughter’s distinctive name, Yakira Eliana.
Initially expecting a boy, she was drawn to Hebrew names, believing they carry a sense of prophecy and destiny. “Biblically, people named their children and they ended up becoming what their names were. I wrote down eight boy names and one girl name, Yakira Eliana. That was how the name came about.”
