Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has condemned the public backlash against a United Bank for Africa trainee who addressed the bank’s chairman by his first name. Sowore urged the bank to provide psychological support, rejecting the idea that the viral interaction was a simple cultural clash.
The controversy unfolded after a recorded interaction between United Bank for Africa Chairman Tony Elumelu and a young female staff member surfaced online, triggering swift criticism across social media platforms. In the footage, the employee, who is participating in the bank’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, greeted the billionaire businessman as Tony. Elumelu promptly corrected her, after which she addressed him as Mr Elumelu. Following the widespread attention the video received, Elumelu explained that he did not subscribe to what he termed oyinbo life, emphasizing the weight of respect within African culture.
Omoyele Sowore Rejects Cultural Clash Framing
As online criticism mounted against the trainee, African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore stepped into the public debate. In a social media post on Saturday, Sowore revealed that a senior management official from UBA Group contacted him regarding his initial remarks on the situation. Rather than viewing the dispute as a simple division between Western and African social customs, Sowore argued that the incident exposed deeper societal divides.
Describing the event as a class war rather than a culture clash, Sowore stated:
“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.”
To illustrate his point, the activist asked whether a similar public uproar would erupt if Elumelu’s own children addressed a family driver or security gateman by their first name. He suggested that the intense reaction stemmed directly from considerations of status, wealth, and power rather than traditional respect.
“That tells you immediately that this argument is not really about ‘African culture’ or respect. It is about class, status, wealth and power,” he said.
Demands for Psychosocial Support and Protection
Beyond the broader sociological debate, Sowore emphasized that his primary concern remained the mental health and psychological welfare of the young trainee. Pointing to the massive wave of ridicule and public attacks directed at the employee, he called on the financial institution to intervene immediately.
“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,” he said.
Sowore insisted that the employee must not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate hierarchy or social-media outrage. He maintained that her dignity, welfare, and mental well-being should take precedence above all else.
Conflicting Instructions and Orientation Policies
Offering a different perspective on the viral encounter, communications strategist Azuka Onwuka suggested that the employee might have been caught between contradictory directives during her initial training. According to Onwuka, the exchange did not stem from generational attitudes, wokeness, or a disregard for proper workplace etiquette.
Instead, the communications strategist proposed that the trainee could have been following a first-name communication guideline introduced during her graduate program orientation. Attempting to apply that specific directive led her into an awkward confrontation with the bank’s leadership.
“This young lady is merely a victim of two conflicting instructions,” Onwuka said.
Stakes for the Trainee Within the Institution
Onwuka raised concerns that the employee might face internal professional consequences if bank supervisors viewed the viral incident as damaging to UBA’s reputation. However, he urged management to protect rather than punish her. He noted that successfully passing the UBA recruitment process demonstrated that she is a capable young graduate who deserved understanding.
