A wave of reactions has hit social media following an incident at the United Bank for Africa (UBA), where a newly recruited staff member addressed the bank's Chairman, Tony Elumelu, simply by his first name.
The event took place during an induction ceremony for 5,000 newly recruited staff members. When the young woman took the microphone to speak, she referred to Elumelu as "Tony". In response, Elumelu cautioned her, stating that he does not subscribe to what he termed "Oyinbo" culture and preferred a prefix to be added to his name. Read Original
The Corporate Culture Dilemma
While social media users criticized the young recruit for the breach of protocol, several Nigerian banking sector employees have stepped forward to defend her. Insiders shared that banking training schools often enforce a strict flat-hierarchy culture where employees are taught to address everyone, including superiors, by their first names. Some staff even noted that failure to adhere to this first-name policy has previously cost people their jobs.
Weighing in on the controversy, social media user Modupe Okeowo argued that the new recruit made an honest mistake driven by conflicting workplace guidelines:
"I understand it was a class of new recruits; the girl made an honest mistake. I also believe the induction at the training school conflicted her mind, as they are asked to address everyone within the system by their first name. You will genuinely see the struggle in the girl too."
Historical Precedents in the Banking Sector
To highlight the confusing tightrope banking professionals navigate regarding corporate etiquette, Okeowo shared a past incident involving the late Access Bank CEO, Herbert Wigwe, about 15 years ago:
- The Incident: The top-performing recruit in an induction set referred to the CEO as "Mr. Herbert" right after passing out from her training.
- The Consequence: Herbert disengaged the brilliant young employee, stating that her choice of address showed she had failed to absorb the bank's cultural training.
- The Takeaway: Advocates argue that situational awareness should be explicitly taught alongside corporate policies to help young professionals navigate these conflicting cultural expectations.
Ultimately, many industry insiders agree that the incident highlights a broader disconnect between standardized internal training rules and real-world executive expectations, leaving fresh graduates vulnerable to mixed signals.
