UBA trainee controversy reflects class war, not cultural clash – Sowore

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has described the controversy surrounding a young woman in the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP), who addressed the bank’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, by his first name as a reflection of class war rather than a clash of cultures.

Sowore made the assertion after disclosing that a senior management official of UBA Group reached out to him over his views on the treatment of the young trainee following the incident, which has generated widespread reactions and criticism on social media. Blueprint reports

The controversy erupted after a video from the UBA GMAP graduation ceremony went viral, showing the young woman addressing Elumelu as “Tony” during an interactive session.

In the video, the trainee greeted him, saying, “Good morning, Tony,” prompting Elumelu to initially ask if she had said “Toyin”.

After she clarified that she had addressed him as Tony, Elumelu corrected her and told her to address him as “Mr Elumelu” or “TOE”. He also expressed his preference for the traditional form of address, saying he did not subscribe to what he described as the “Oyinbo life.”

The brief exchange, which occurred during a ceremony celebrating young professionals who completed the GMAP, subsequently triggered an intense debate over respect, workplace culture, corporate hierarchy and whether senior executives should be addressed by their first names.

Sowore says issue is about class

Reacting to the development, Sowore said he rejected the argument that the incident was simply a “culture clash”.

According to him, the controversy exposes the class structure and hierarchy embedded in Nigerian society, particularly the different standards applied to people depending on their social and economic status.

Sowore said the senior UBA official who contacted him wanted to hear his views on the treatment of the young woman, adding that he made his position clear.

“I made it clear that, in my view, this was not a ‘culture clash’; it was a class war, a reflection of the deeply entrenched hierarchy and class consciousness that too often determines who is considered entitled to demand deference and who is expected to provide it,” he said.

He argued that the reaction to the trainee’s use of Elumelu’s first name should be examined within the broader context of how Nigerians relate to people occupying different positions in society.

‘It is about status, wealth and power’

To illustrate his argument, Sowore drew a comparison involving members of Elumelu’s family and domestic workers.

He said if Elumelu’s son or daughter addressed the family gateman or driver by his first name, the reaction from most Nigerians would likely be completely different.

“If Tony Elumelu’s son or daughter addressed the family gateman or driver by his first name, hardly any Nigerian would bat an eyelid,” he said.

According to him, many of the same people who have expressed outrage over the trainee calling Elumelu “Tony” would probably expect the gateman or driver to address Elumelu’s children with exaggerated deference.

Sowore said the contradiction demonstrates that the argument is not necessarily about African culture or respect as many people have portrayed it.

“That tells you immediately that this argument is not really about ‘African culture’ or respect. It is about class, status, wealth and power, about who society permits to speak casually to whom,” he said.

His comments have added another dimension to a debate that has already divided public opinion, with some Nigerians supporting Elumelu’s insistence on being addressed formally while others have criticised the intensity of the backlash against the young trainee.

Workplace culture under scrutiny

The incident has also sparked discussion about the difference between modern corporate communication and traditional Nigerian expectations surrounding age and status.

Some Nigerians have argued that first-name culture is common in modern workplaces and that employees may sometimes be encouraged to communicate with senior executives in a less formal manner.

Others have maintained that workplace informality does not remove the need for respect, particularly when dealing with a senior executive and chairman of a major financial institution.

The disagreement has therefore moved beyond the particular exchange between Elumelu and the trainee to questions about how Nigerian organisations balance hierarchy with openness and accessibility.

The UBA GMAP is designed to develop young professionals for leadership roles, and the incident has consequently generated discussion about the kind of workplace culture young graduates are being prepared to enter.

The ceremony itself celebrated 374 young professionals who successfully completed the programme, with the development receiving significant attention after the interaction between Elumelu and the trainee went viral.

Sowore calls for psychosocial support

Beyond the debate over whether the young woman was right or wrong to address Elumelu by his first name, Sowore said his immediate concern was the psychological impact of the controversy on the trainee.

He said the woman had been subjected to enormous public criticism, ridicule and attacks following the circulation of the video, and specifically requested that UBA provide her with appropriate psychosocial support.

According to him, the fact that the incident has become a major social media controversy means the young woman should not be left to deal with the consequences alone.

“Whatever anyone thinks about how she addressed Tony Elumelu, no young employee or trainee should be left alone to absorb the psychological consequences of suddenly becoming the target of a massive public controversy,” Sowore said.

He stressed that the trainee’s wellbeing should be considered separately from the question of whether she breached an expected workplace protocol.

For him, correcting an employee or trainee, where necessary, should not translate into exposing the individual to sustained public humiliation or online attacks.

‘Her dignity must come first’

Sowore said UBA had a responsibility to ensure that the young woman did not become a casualty of the controversy, stressing that her welfare should take precedence over the wider argument about corporate hierarchy.

“She should not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate hierarchy or social-media outrage,” he said.

“Her dignity, welfare and mental well-being must come first.”

His intervention comes amid continuing public discussion about the young woman’s treatment, with Nigerians offering sharply divided opinions on social media.

While some commentators have argued that Elumelu was justified in establishing how he wished to be addressed, others have questioned whether the incident warranted the level of public scrutiny that followed.

The debate has also exposed differing interpretations of respect in Nigeria, where age, wealth, political influence and professional position frequently shape how people interact with one another.

For Sowore, however, the central issue goes beyond the use of a first name.

He believes the controversy has revealed a deeper social contradiction in which informal communication may be tolerated or even encouraged among people of similar social standing, while strict deference is expected when people from lower social classes interact with those considered more powerful.

Controversy widens

What began as a brief exchange at a corporate graduation ceremony has consequently developed into a broader national conversation about class, culture, workplace etiquette and power.

The incident has also prompted calls for restraint in the way the trainee is treated, particularly as the video continues to attract attention online.

Sowore’s position is that whatever one’s view of the appropriateness of addressing Elumelu as “Tony”, the young woman should not be subjected to disproportionate punishment, ridicule or psychological pressure.

He maintained that organisations have a responsibility to protect young employees and trainees, especially when an internal workplace interaction unexpectedly becomes a national social media controversy.

As the debate continues, the incident has become more than a question of whether a young trainee should have used a first name when addressing a corporate chairman. It has opened a wider conversation about who is allowed to speak casually, who is expected to show deference and whether the concept of respect in Nigerian society is applied equally across social and economic classes.

For Sowore, the answer is clear: the controversy is less about culture than it is about class, status and power, while the welfare of the young woman at the centre of the storm should not be lost in the argument.