UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has corrected a young graduate who addressed him by his first name during an interactive session at the graduation ceremony of the bank’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP).

The exchange, captured in a video that has gone viral on social media, occurred when the graduate greeted the businessman by saying, “Good morning, Tony,” before proceeding to ask her question.

Elumelu initially appeared to mishear her and responded, “Toyin? Toyin?” After she clarified that she had called him Tony, he told her that she should instead address him 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 graduate subsequently corrected herself, addressing him as “Mr Elumelu” before continuing with her question.

The incident has sparked mixed reactions online, with Nigerians debating whether the graduate’s use of Elumelu’s first name was inappropriate or simply reflected modern corporate workplace culture.

Some social media users praised the businessman for clearly stating how he preferred to be addressed, arguing that formal settings require appropriate titles and that familiarity should not be assumed.

One X user, @ibnjaafar1205, said the matter was less about Elumelu’s status or 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, argued that first-name familiarity should not automatically be associated with Western corporate culture.

“Even in the so-called ‘Western world’, your formality should still be by title ‘Mr, Mrs/Miss’. Tony? Na you born am?” the user wrote.

However, others defended the graduate, pointing out that first-name communication is common in many modern organisations, particularly companies where senior executives encourage employees to interact with them without formal titles.

@WildCoderr noted that “most corporate culture mandates staff to communicate on a first-name basis,” while also observing that Elumelu corrected the graduate respectfully.

Similarly, @iamkadirii argued that the young woman should not be judged harshly because workplace etiquette varies across organisations and some executives prefer to be addressed by their first names.

The exchange has therefore renewed discussions about the balance between traditional Nigerian respect for titles and the increasingly informal communication culture common in contemporary corporate environments.