“Good morning, Tony.” Those three words, spoken by a young woman to Tony Elumelu at a recent graduation event, ignited a national conversation within hours. Mr Elumelu corrected her at once: “No, you won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu, TOE or Chairman.” The clip spread rapidly, prompting debates about corporate culture, African respect, generational differences and the so-called “Oyibo” approach to workplace relationships. I watched the video several times. I could see both sides. I have worked in telecommunications and financial services environments where first-name culture was almost standard practice. At iSON BPO, inside an MTN call-centre setting, the atmosphere differed markedly from traditional Nigerian workplaces. I worked alongside Mr Adeyanju Johnson, Mr Onasa, Ms Odion, Mr Macaubrey et al…as my Team Lead. Even in that environment, I found it difficult to address some of them by first name alone. Earlier, in the financial sector, I called my branch manager Aunty Bi...
My own life taught me this lesson early. Immediately after my first degree, I found myself in Ibadan. Since my school would not mobilise us immediately for NYSC, my father encouraged me to pursue a one-year diploma at the University of Ibadan. At the same time, my brother introduced me to Tayo, a skilled fashion designer known for creating shirts that rivaled boutique quality. I went to his workshop to learn tailoring. My arrangement was straightforward: lectures in the morning, workshop sessions on selected days. Something unexpected happened. Through my campus exposure and interactions with graduating students, I began spotting opportunities. I proposed an idea to Tayo: What if we designed customised graduation outfits for departments? What if we marketed directly to departmental executives? What if fashion met organisation? That small idea became a thriving business. Departmental executives engaged us, orders surged, machines ran overnight, and everyone won (I made money). Ironicall...