UBA Must Provide ‘Trainee’ With Appropriate Psychosocial Support After Encounter With Elumelu

By Omoyele Sowore

Yesterday, a senior management official at UBA Group reached out to me regarding my views on the treatment of the young woman in UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP) who addressed Tony Elumelu by his first name.

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.

I gave a simple example: if Tony Elumelu’s son or daughter addressed the family gateman or driver by his first name, hardly any Nigerian would bat an eyelid.

In fact, many of the same people outraged by this young woman calling him “Tony” would probably expect the gateman or driver to address Elumelu’s children with exaggerated deference. 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.

More importantly, I specifically requested that, given the enormous public opprobrium, ridicule, and attacks this young woman has been subjected to, UBA must immediately provide her with appropriate psychosocial support. 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.

She should not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate hierarchy or social-media outrage. Her dignity, welfare and mental well-being must come first.