Businessman and chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has cautioned a young lady for addressing him by his name at a public event.
In the video making rounds online, Tony was captured addressing his employees when a young lady, who appears to be a graduate Trainee of UBA Banking School, stood up to ask a question.
She addressed him by his first name, “Tony”, which didn’t sit well with him.
Tony immediately corrected her, saying she couldn’t address him that way. Elumelu told her to address him as “Chairman” or “Mr Elumelu”. He added that he doesn’t subscribe to that kind of oyinbo life.
The video, which went viral on social media, drew mixed reactions.
Wumi Toriola wrote, “Who trained them sef dey comment section
Korra Obidi wrote, “Who advised her?
Uriel wrote, “Tony, with shocked emojis
One official_super_star_angel wrote, “He is right, like what happens to Mr, he’s not your friend, wtf
One boatnaija wrote, “Tony is not familiar; he is right
One mc_darkorcomedian wrote, “Culture is culture
One real_estatedoctor wrote, “See her mother like Toby
One mr_lyfe wrote, “Nice and calm correction
One mustard198 wrote, “This is not Gen Z, it is rudeness
One zurion_olabisi wrote, “He isn’t supposed to entertain her question. That was rude
One made.of.ink wrote, “Na once I freeze on her behalf
One made.of.ink wrote, “This one don watch Hollywood boardroom meeting tire
One aduganjollof wrote, “Maybe not miss our big opportunities in the name of woke
One victordmaverick wrote, “She would have apologised first before correcting herself but for pride. Give people their respect at all times”.
The chairman of UBA, in a social media post, had advised Nigerians to surround themselves with intelligent people. He admonished them to recognise their limitations and be intelligent enough to support themselves with those who are better.
A social media user, reacting to a viral photo of Tony and his 7 kids, said she thought rich people don’t have many children, but Tony proved otherwise.
In 2024, the businessman was heavily criticized by a social media user over his treatment of his house help, who was standing behind his family on a wall while they celebrated Moses Simon after the Nigeria – Angola match.
The tweep slammed the businessman for leaving out his house help from the match, adding that his family all wore Nigerian jerseys to celebrate the Super Eagles but left out the house help.
While celebrating his 61st birthday, Elumelu made a promise to the youth to help at least one thousand young people with start-up capital, and the best part was that it isn’t a loan.
His Foundation has sponsored a lot of youth programs, and most of them are centered around personal development and business ventures. He advocates for self-improvement, and he has changed a lot of lives in the process.
