Over the week, a video of a young woman who was a participant in the United Bank for Africa’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme (GMAP) went viral on the internet. She said, “Good morning Tony”, but what’s wrong with that?
At that UBA programme, she didn’t go viral because she hit a jackpot or was celebrated by the bank for her outstanding performance and top-notch banking acumen. She stirred a controversy on the internet that elicited a challenge and also opened a chapter of debate on what ensued.
At that programme, the outgoing chairman of the bank, Mr. Tony Elumelu, was seen having a question-and-answer session with the graduates, which is traditional of the bank, as witnessed over time.
However, things took a dramatic turn when a young lady, in a bid to ask a question, made a remark that didn’t go down well with Mr. Tony Elumelu. She greeted him by saying, “Good morning, Tony,” and immediately he rebuked her that she couldn’t call him Tony. She either calls him Mr. Elumelu or TOE. He said that he does not subscribe to that Oyibo kind of thing. By that Oyibo kind of thing, perhaps he is referring to the culture of calling people by their first names, as it is done in the Western world.
Although, in Africa, we have a culture of respecting elders or anyone older than us, it is a tradition we hold dearly. Irrespective of one’s education and status, it is incumbent on us to give honour to those presumed to be older than us. The culture is observed differently by the individual ethnic groups and tribes in Nigeria. Calling someone older than you by name is forbidden and seen as a mark of disrespect and highly frowned upon. You dare not. But before you crucify the young lady, wait a minute! What’s wrong with “Good morning, Tony” under the circumstances? She called him by his name to greet him.
I took particular interest in this episode because I have, to some extent, the authority to write on this issue because of my background in the banking industry and the corporate world in Nigeria. When we started banking as young people, it was awkward for us when, at management-cum-staff meetings, we were oriented to call everyone by their first name. There were occasions where my MD would ask us to shun formalities and get the job done without any formal gimmicks. They termed such acts of respect as eye service because they were performance-focused.
Therefore, the new generation corporate gurus gave the orientation and impression that it is not about venerating anyone; it is about the job and performance. However, the African in us wouldn’t let us do that. We still saw ourselves respecting elders and still added prefixes such as “Sir” or “Oga.” On no occasion did I hear anyone call the MD by his first name, maybe because it sounded awkward, given our background and upbringing as Africans.
What transpired between Tony Elumelu and the young woman is the doing and undoing of the system that tries to exalt corporate correctness, performance and profitability at the expense of morality, perhaps imported from other cultures, especially Europe and America. They forget that we are different; we are not like them.
The said young lady only did what she thought was right, given the orientation she received, and also as a bold person, she didn’t see anything wrong with it because of the corporate setting she was in. Mr. Elumelu, at this point, allowed the African in him to manifest. Otherwise, people like him are the proponents of this new culture. Why is he angry at this point and denied subscribing to it? They threw caution to the wind; they wanted excellence and removed all encumbrances that could profit them, then why is he angry now?
The young lady only gave back to the system that gave her. You can’t give what we don’t have and know; she only dished out what they gave her. The system made her.
We should not allow wokeness or imported culture to erode our way of life. We are not Oyibos, referring to the expression of Mr. Elumelu. We must not allow personal interest to supersede general values.
Good morning, Tony — a way not to raise an African child. Follow us on Facebook and connect with us via email or contact marketing department for news coverage and more.
