Tony Elumelu tells young lady to call him ‘Mr Elumelu’ after she addressed him as Tony

Businessman and Chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, has told a young lady to address him as “Mr Elumelu” after she called him “Tony” during a public event.

The exchange was captured in a video circulating on social media, where Elumelu was addressing employees when a young woman, believed to be a graduate trainee of the UBA Banking School, stood up to ask him a question.

The woman began by saying, “Good morning, Tony,” prompting Elumelu to immediately correct her.

Elumelu immediately interrupted her, saying: “No, you won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu, or Toyi. 

You won’t call me Tony. Or Chima. 

I don’t subscribe to that kind of life, okay?”
The young lady then addressed him as “Mr. Elumelu” before proceeding with her question.

“Good morning, Mr. Elumelu. 

Thanks. 

So my question is, um, how do you know if you're to keep going?” she asked.

The interaction has since generated reactions online, with social media users sharing different views about Elumelu’s response and his insistence on being addressed formally during the event.

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