A young lady has gone viral after UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, corrected her for addressing him by his first name during an interactive session at the bank’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation ceremony on Thursday.
In the viral video, the woman was heard saying, “Good morning, Tony,” while addressing the businessman, who initially appeared to take the remark lightly, responding, “Toyin? Toyin?” When she clarified that she had said “Good morning, Tony,” Elumelu then 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. You won’t call me Tony, or Chairman. I don’t subscribe to that kind of… Oyinbo life, okay?” he said.
The woman subsequently corrected herself, saying, “Good morning, Mr Elumelu,” before proceeding with her question.
The exchange, captured in a video from the event and widely shared on social media.
The exchange came as UBA Group celebrated 374 young professionals who completed its Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, GMAP, describing the graduates as part of the next generation of leaders across its African markets.
Elumelu had earlier shared a post celebrating the programme, saying it had trained more than 5,000 young professionals.
UBA Group said the latest graduates had gained knowledge and experience to take on new challenges and create meaningful impact across their respective markets.
The bank congratulated the graduates and urged them to “go forward with purpose, lead with courage, and continue to shape the future.”
