Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, Tony Elumelu, has cautioned a graduate trainee 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 trainee greeted the businessman, saying, “Good morning, Tony,” prompting Elumelu to correct her and ask that she address him as “Mr Elumelu” or “TOE.”
Elumelu explained that he does not subscribe to what he described as “Oyinbo life,” referring to the practice of addressing senior colleagues by their first names in some corporate environments.
He said, “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?”
The trainee subsequently corrected herself and addressed him as “Mr Elumelu” before continuing with her question.
The exchange has generated reactions on social media, with some users supporting Elumelu’s position on formal address, while others argued that first-name communication is common in some modern corporate workplaces.
