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. I’m not… 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, has triggered mixed reactions among Nigerians, with some applauding Elumelu’s response while others argued that the young graduate may have been following modern corporate culture, where employees are sometimes encouraged to address senior executives by their first names.

One social media user, on X #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.

However, some 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.

A 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, lol.”

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.

Meanwhile, 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.”

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