Tony Elumelu Corrects Female Graduate for Addressing Him by First Name at UBA Ceremony

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The United Bank for Africa Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has ignited a fierce national debate on corporate etiquette, generational respect and cultural identity after he firmly corrected a young female graduate who addressed him by his first name during an interactive session at the bank's Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The incident, captured in a video that has since gone viral across social media platforms, occurred as the bank celebrated 374 young professionals who completed the intensive training programme. The graduate, standing to ask a question following Elumelu's presentation, opened with a cheerful "Good morning, Tony". The billionaire businessman initially appeared to take the greeting lightly, responding with a puzzled "Toyin? Toyin?" as if he had misheard her. When the young woman clarified, smiling, "I said good morning, Tony," Elumelu immediately interrupted her mid-sentence and delivered a direct and unflinching correction.

"No, you won't call me Tony," Elumelu stated firmly. "You'll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE. You won't call me Tony, or Chairman. I don't subscribe to that kind of… Oyinbo life, okay?". The graduate quickly corrected herself, responding with "Good morning, Mr Elumelu," before proceeding with her question. Elumelu's use of the Nigerian Pidgin term "Oyinbo," commonly used to refer to Western or foreign customs, was a deliberate rejection of what he described as casual, foreign-style familiarity in a formal professional setting. The exchange has since generated a torrent of reactions across social media, with Nigerians sharply divided between those who applauded Elumelu's insistence on traditional respect and those who argued that the young woman may have been following modern corporate culture where employees are sometimes encouraged to address senior executives by their first names.

Supporters of Elumelu's position argued that in Nigerian and broader African cultural and corporate contexts, addressing an elder or a high-profile business figure by their bare first name without an honorific is seen as disrespectful. One X user, @ibnjaafar1205, said the issue was less about Elumelu's wealth and more about social awareness. "This isn't about Tony Elumelu being a billionaire. It's about basic social intelligence. If you are on a formal stage addressing someone in his official capacity, there is a difference between knowing him and addressing him appropriately," the user wrote. Another user, @Ms_ronkeh, also criticised the woman's choice of words, arguing that even in Western corporate environments, familiarity was usually established before using someone's first name. "Even in the so-called 'Western world', your formality should still be by title 'Mr, Mrs/Miss'. Tony? Na you born am?" the user said. Some commentators went further, with one Facebook user declaring, "Civilisation is not an excuse for stupidity. Thank you, Mr Elumelu". Another commenter lamented, "This new generation children are actually very rude and this is due to poor parenting, studying abroad or wherever shouldn't take away our culture".

However, a significant number of Nigerians offered a different perspective, suggesting that the young woman may have been following the conventions of corporate workplaces where employees are sometimes encouraged to address colleagues and senior executives by their first names. One user, @WildCoderr, wrote, "Most corporate culture mandates staff to communicate on a first-name basis, and our Gen Zs clearly don't read the room as well. TO corrected her respectfully though". Another user, @iamkadirii, said the woman should not be judged entirely, noting that some organisations discourage excessive use of titles. "If she's a banking trainee, we are used to calling our bosses 'oga', 'sir', 'boss'," the user wrote, adding that some senior executives had previously asked employees to address them by their names rather than titles. Other social media users questioned the necessity of the correction altogether. @nitroxn_capital asked, "Isn't his name 'Tony'??", while @MetOrjiChukwudi wrote, "What exactly is wrong with her calling you Tony without 'Mr,' 'GM,' 'Sir,' etc., blah blah ? Is your name not Tony ?".

Some commentators also noted a layer of irony, pointing out that Elumelu has built much of his public persona and philanthropic branding around modernising Africa's business and entrepreneurial culture, which some argue sits somewhat at odds with insisting on more traditional, hierarchical forms of address. The businessman frequently uses his initials, "TOE," on social media and has cultivated an accessible public image, leading some users to suggest that the graduand may have interpreted that familiarity as extending to formal interactions. Others drew comparisons with global business figures, with one user asking, "You call Elon Musk by his name, but you guys have an issue with the young girl calling him Tony?". A former UBA staff member, Innocent Istifanus Moses, also weighed in, revealing that the bank's GMAP training sometimes encouraged trainees to adopt a more casual approach, suggesting the graduate may have believed her bold approach during the graduation ceremony could influence her eventual posting.

The incident has opened a wider conversation about changing workplace culture, generational differences and whether Nigerian professionals should retain traditional forms of respect while adopting more informal corporate interactions. The debate reflects a recurring tension in Nigerian professional culture between the desire to adopt global business norms and the deeply ingrained cultural values of societal hierarchy and seniority. For Elumelu, 63, who serves as Chairman of Heirs Holdings, UBA, Transcorp, and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the correction was a clear assertion of the boundaries he expects in formal professional settings. The exchange came as UBA Group celebrated the Class of 2026 of its Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, with Elumelu engaging the class in an interactive session, sharing lessons from past cohorts and offering practical guidance on resilience. The bank described the graduates as part of the next generation of leaders across its African markets and urged them to "go forward with purpose, lead with courage, and continue to shape the future". As the video continues to circulate, the debate over which approach is "correct" shows little sign of settling, but the incident has already cemented itself as a defining moment in the ongoing conversation about respect, culture and professionalism in Nigeria's corporate landscape.

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