After Elumelu’s rebuke, Delta gov aide offers UBA staff member N500,000, ambassadorial deal

Human rights advocate and presidential contender for the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has criticized the backlash faced by a young employee at United Bank for Africa (UBA) who was criticized for addressing the bank's chairman, Tony Elumelu, by his first name. Sowore also urged the bank to offer the woman adequate psychological support in the wake of the public ridicule and attacks she endured after the incident went viral.

The activist revealed this in a Facebook post on Saturday, mentioning that a senior UBA management official had reached out to him regarding the treatment of the woman, who is currently enrolled in the bank's Graduate Management Accelerated Programme. The controversy stemmed from a viral video where Elumelu corrected the woman for calling him "Tony" during a meeting, after which Elumelu expressed his reluctance to adopt what he termed "oyinbo life," emphasizing the significance of respect in African culture.

When addressing the backlash, Sowore dismissed the notion that the incident was merely a clash between African and Western cultures, asserting that it was, in fact, a "class war" reflecting the deep-rooted social hierarchy and class consciousness that often dictate who deserves respect and who is entitled to provide it. He further pointed out that if Elumelu's son or daughter addressed a family servant by their first name, the situation would not have generated similar outrage.

Sowore also noted that many of the critics would likely expect the family servant to show excessive deference to Elumelu's children. He argued that the argument was not about African culture or respect, but rather about class, status, wealth, and power. Concerned about the psychological impact of the controversy on the young woman, Sowore called on UBA to provide her with appropriate psychological support, emphasizing that no young employee or trainee should have to endure the mental repercussions of becoming the target of widespread public criticism.

"Her dignity, welfare, and mental well-being must come first," he emphasized. The incident has ignited a broader discussion on work etiquette, respect for senior executives, and the practice of addressing superiors by their first names in Nigerian workplaces.