UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has sparked a lively conversation on social media after correcting a young woman who addressed him by his first name during an interactive session at the bank’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation ceremony.
In a video from the event, the woman greeted the businessman by saying, Good morning, Tony. Elumelu initially appeared to misunderstand her and responded, Toyin? Toyin? After she clarified that she had said “Tony,” he explained that he preferred to be addressed as Mr Elumelu or TOE.
Okay, no, you won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE, he said, adding that he did not subscribe to what he described as Oyinbo life.
The young woman immediately corrected herself and greeted him as Mr Elumelu before continuing with her question.
The exchange has since generated mixed reactions online, with Nigerians divided over whether the young graduate breached an expected level of respect or was simply following contemporary corporate culture.
Some social media users supported Elumelu’s position, arguing that formal settings require people to observe appropriate titles, particularly when addressing senior executives.
One user said the issue was not about Elumelu’s wealth but about understanding social etiquette and recognising the difference between knowing someone personally and addressing them in an official capacity.
Another commenter argued that even in Western corporate environments, first-name familiarity is not automatically appropriate in every situation and is often established based on the relationship between the individuals.
However, others defended the young woman, noting that many modern organisations encourage employees to address colleagues and senior executives by their first names as part of a less hierarchical workplace culture.
One commenter suggested that the young woman may have been following the conventions of corporate workplaces, where the use of titles is sometimes discouraged.
The debate has therefore raised a broader question about the changing meaning of respect in Nigeria’s corporate environment, particularly as younger professionals enter workplaces with increasingly globalised cultures.
For some traditionalists, titles such as “Mr,” “Mrs,” “Sir,” “Chairman” and “Boss” remain important markers of respect. For others, professionalism should be determined by conduct and competence rather than the use of formal titles.
The incident took place as UBA celebrated 374 young professionals who completed its Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, known as GMAP.
The programme is designed to prepare young professionals for leadership roles across UBA’s African markets. The bank described the graduates as part of the next generation of leaders expected to take on new challenges and create meaningful impact across their respective markets.
Elumelu had earlier celebrated the programme, noting that it had trained more than 5,000 young professionals.
UBA congratulated the latest graduates and urged them to move forward with purpose, lead with courage and contribute to shaping the future.
While the brief exchange between Elumelu and the young woman was largely about how he preferred to be addressed, its wider reaction reflects the changing dynamics of Nigeria’s workplace culture.
As younger employees increasingly enter multinational and corporate environments influenced by global practices, questions around hierarchy, familiarity and traditional respect are likely to remain subjects of debate.
For now, Elumelu’s message was clear: in his presence, Tony is not the preferred form of address. Mr Elumelu or TOE is.
