- A Nigerian lady has shared a strong opinion about a viral video involving billionaire Tony Elumelu and a UBA staff member
- The post sparked wide debate online after a young woman was seen addressing Tony Elumelu by his first name, which many Nigerians found disrespectful
- The Nigerian businesswoman said there is no setting on earth where she would address an older person by their first name
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, a Nigerian entrepreneur and social media personality, has weighed in on the debate sparked by a viral clip in which a young UBA staff member addressed billionaire Tony Elumelu by his first name.
In a Facebook post published on 21 August 2026, Chioma pushed back firmly against those defending the staff member, who some commenters argued had simply “misread the room” rather than acted with deliberate disrespect.
Source: UGC
Businesswoman weighs in on Tony Elumelu saga
For Chioma, the framing of the incident as a social miscalculation rather than a lapse in manners missed the point entirely.
She wrote that no setting in the world would lead her to address an older person by their first name, whether in a formal boardroom or a casual encounter. To illustrate how deeply she holds this value, she noted that even the customers who walk into her egg shop every day are addressed as “Ma” and “Sir,” regardless of their age.
She said:
“I see some people explaining that the young lady who called Tony Elumelu by first name was not rude. They say she simply “misread the room”.
“Nwannem, there is no room on this entire earth where I will refer to an older person by first name.”
“No such room.”
“Even my customers who walk into the egg shop daily are all called Ma and Sir, irrespective of your age.”
“There is no such room in this entire earth for me.”
Nigerians React to Tony Elumelu saga
Legit.ng has compiled some of the reactions below:
Stanley Befii Nayor said:
“She misread the road, did she stumble into the room? I don’t want to talk about that lady. To her it’s boldness, to me, her shame dey shame me.”
Olajide Olubunmi Osifalujo said:
“I once worked in an organisation where we were told to call everyone by first name, including the MD.. None of us called our superiors by name oo. We no dey craze. For some of the superiors that were very close to us, we coined nicknames for them.”
Ifeoma Ruth said:
“The annoying thing about that scene, was that she wasn’t even confident enough in pronouncing the name. she knew Exactly that she was trying to test waters.”
See Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze’s original Facebook post that sparked the conversation:
Catholic priest comments on Tony Elumelu saga
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a Catholic priest publicly weighed in on the viral moment a UBA graduate trainee greeted billionaire Tony Elumelu with ‘Good morning, Tony’
The priest questioned why Nigerians were angry with the trainee, noting that using first names is standard practice in formal Western settings.
Source: Legit.ng