Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called on United Bank for Africa (UBA) to provide psychosocial support to a young graduate trainee who became the subject of widespread criticism after addressing the bank’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, by his first name.
Sowore made the call in a post on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after he said a senior management official of UBA Group contacted him over his views on the treatment of the trainee.
The controversy began after a video from UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP) graduation ceremony in Lagos went viral. During an interactive session, the young woman greeted Elumelu by saying, “Good morning, Tony.”
Elumelu initially appeared to have misheard her and asked, “Toyin? Toyin?” After she clarified that she had said “Tony,” he corrected her.
“You won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE,” Elumelu said, adding that he did not subscribe to what he described as “Oyinbo life.” The trainee subsequently addressed him as “Mr Elumelu” and continued with her question.
The incident triggered a heated debate online, with some Nigerians arguing that addressing a senior executive by his first name was disrespectful, while others questioned the expectation of formal titles and deference in Nigerian workplaces.
Reacting to the backlash, however, Sowore said he did not view the incident as a simple disagreement between African and Western cultures.
“I made it clear that, in my view, this was not a ‘culture clash’; it was a class war,” Sowore said, arguing that the reaction reflected “deeply entrenched hierarchy and class consciousness” over who is expected to show deference and who is allowed to speak casually.
He illustrated his argument by asking whether the same outrage would occur if Elumelu’s children addressed their family driver or gateman by his first name.
“That tells you immediately that this argument is not really about ‘African culture’ or respect. It is about class, status, wealth and power, about who society permits to speak casually to whom,” he said.
Sowore said his bigger concern was the impact of the controversy on the young trainee, who has faced public ridicule and criticism since the video went viral.
He said he specifically asked UBA to provide her with appropriate psychosocial support.
“Whatever anyone thinks about how she addressed Tony Elumelu, no young employee or trainee should be left alone to absorb the psychological consequences of suddenly becoming the target of a massive public controversy,” he said.
Sowore further argued that the trainee should not be “sacrificed on the altar of corporate hierarchy or social-media outrage,” stressing that her dignity and welfare should be prioritised.
UBA’s GMAP is a graduate development programme designed to train young professionals for leadership roles within the bank. The programme’s 2026 graduation ceremony in Lagos was where the viral interaction took place.