Tony Elumelu Calls UBA Trainee Who Addressed Him As "Tony", Advises Her Privately.
Lagos, Nigeria – August 2026 Hours after a video of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group Chairman Tony O. Elumelu, CFR correcting a graduate trainee went viral, sources say the billionaire businessman personally called the young lady to advise her privately. The incident happened during the graduation ceremony of UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP) held in Lagos on Thursday. 720 trainees attended the event, with 300 of them converted from contract staff to full-time employment. What Happened At The Event. In the viral clip, a female trainee stood to ask a question and began with: “Good morning, Tony.” Elumelu, who was on stage, first thought she said “Toyin.” When she clarified, he responded: > “Okay. No, you won’t call me Tony. I’m not… you’ll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE. You won’t call me Tony, or Chairman. I don’t subscribe to that kind of… Oyinbo life, okay?” The trainee immediately corrected herself to “Good morning, Mr Elumelu” and continued with her...