United Bank for Africa Group Chairman Tony Elumelu publicly corrected a young woman for calling him by his first name during a graduation ceremony for the bank’s management trainee programme on Thursday.
In a video of the interactive session that has circulated widely on social media, the woman began her remarks by saying, “Good morning, Tony.”
Elumelu initially appeared to mishear her, responding, “Toyin? Toyin?” When she repeated the greeting, he firmly set out his preference.
“Okay. No, you won’t call me Tony. 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?” he said.
The woman promptly corrected herself, addressing him as “Mr Elumelu” before continuing with her question.
The exchange took place at the graduation of 374 young professionals who completed UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme. Elumelu has previously noted that the initiative has trained more than 5,000 participants across the bank’s African operations.
The video has drawn mixed reactions online. Some users defended Elumelu’s stance as a matter of basic etiquette in a formal setting, while others suggested the graduate may have been following modern corporate practices that encourage first-name address.
UBA described the latest cohort of graduates as part of the next generation of leaders and urged them to “go forward with purpose, lead with courage, and continue to shape the future.”
