At the graduation ceremony of United Bank for Africa’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, two young trainees each had a moment with the group’s chairman, Tony Elumelu. The same programme, the same chairman — and two encounters that could not have ended more differently.
The first has been replayed millions of times. A trainee rose to speak and opened with “Good morning, Tony.” Elumelu stopped her; when she repeated it, he made clear he preferred “Mr Elumelu” or “TOE,” adding that he did not subscribe to “that kind of Oyinbo life.” Within hours it had become a national argument about Gen Z, workplace etiquette, and African values.
The second moment deserves at least as much attention, but has received far less. During her on-the-job training, another trainee, Deborah Moses, had noticed something: customers kept arriving at branches to resolve issues without the documents required, were asked to return, and left frustrated. She did not just witness it — she studied it, and proposed a solution: a guide that tells customers exactly what each request requires, paired with better tracking of recurring complaints. When she shared it, the chairman invited her forward and, by her account, offered encouragement and a recommendation.
