{
  "id": 2562686,
  "title": "Call me TOE or Mr Elumelu: Sowore condemns backlash against UBA staff, demands psychosocial support",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/call-me-toe-or-mr-elumelu-sowore-condemns-backlash-against-uba-staff",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T11:30:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/call-me-toe-or-mr-elumelu-sowore-condemns-backlash-against-uba-staff-demands-psychosocial-support/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "Omoyele Sowore condemns the backlash against a UBA staff member who addressed Tony Elumelu by his first name, demanding psychosocial support for her. Read More: https://punchng.com/call-me-toe-or-mr-elumelu-sowore-condemns-backlash-against-uba-staff-demands-psychosocial-support/",
  "key_points": [
    "Sowore urges UBA to provide the woman adequate psychological support after public ridicule.",
    "Sowore argues the controversy reflects class war, not African vs Western cultures."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Call me TOE or Mr Elumelu: Sowore condemns backlash against UBA staff, demands psychosocial support",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/call-me-toe-or-mr-elumelu-sowore-condemns-backlash-against-uba-staff-2564918",
        "published": "2026-08-22T11:42:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}