BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim:
Multiple social media users claim that UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu met the lady that addressed him by his first name and reconciled with her.
Verdict
Misleading.
Full Text:
Multiple social media users claim that UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu later met with and reconciled with a trainee who addressed him by his first name during an interaction at the United Bank for Africa’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme. An image accompanying the claim is also being circulated as evidence of the alleged meeting.
The claim follows a viral video showing a trainee participating in UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme addressing Elumelu as “Tony” while asking him a question. Elumelu interrupted her and corrected her mode of address.
“Okay. No, you won’t call me Tony. 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?” He asserts.
This prompted discussions on social media about workplace etiquette and the appropriate way to address senior executives.
While the video establishes that Elumelu corrected the trainee during the interaction, it does not by itself establish whether the two later met or reconciled, as claimed.
This fact-check therefore examines the veracity of the claim and the authenticity and context of the attached image.
The claim can be found here, here, here, here and here.
Verification:
To verify the claim and the authenticity of the image accompanying it, FactCheckAfrica first conducted a Google search to determine whether any credible report supported the claim. The search returned no credible report stating that Tony Elumelu had met with and reconciled with the trainee after the viral incident.
FactCheckAfrica also conducted a Google reverse image search on the attached image. The search led to an Instagram post published by Tony Elumelu on July 5, 2026, in which he wrote:
“So proud of our dear Oge as she successfully convened the first edition of the @africaeverywherefestival. The beginning of many more to come ❤️”
The post contained 17 images, with the exact image attached to the claim appearing as the 16th slide. The image shows Elumelu with his first daughter and eldest child, Ogechukwu Elumelu.
Ogechukwu Elumelu founded the Africa and Everywhere Festival, a career-focused youth empowerment initiative that grew out of her podcast, Africa and Everywhere: Conversations with Oge. The inaugural edition of the festival was held on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Therefore, the reverse image search establishes that the image being circulated with the claim is authentic but unrelated to the alleged reconciliation between Elumelu and the trainee. It was originally published by Elumelu in connection with his daughter’s festival.
Conclusion:
FactCheckAfrica found no credible evidence that Tony Elumelu later met or reconciled with the trainee. A reverse image search also showed that the attached image was originally posted by Elumelu and features his daughter, Ogechukwu Elumelu, at the Africa and Everywhere Festival. Therefore, the claim is false, and the image is authentic but presented in a misleading manner.
