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Shaffy Bello

Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello has weighed in on the debate surrounding UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu’s viral exchange with a young woman who addressed him by his first name, saying she also expects younger people to show greater respect when addressing their elders.

Bello’s comments came after a video from a UBA Graduate Management Accelerated Programme event circulated widely online. In the footage, a young female participant greeted Elumelu as “Tony,” prompting the businessman to correct her and ask that she address him as “Mr Elumelu,” “TOE” or “Chairman.”

The brief exchange generated a heated conversation on social media, with Nigerians debating whether addressing senior people by their first names should be considered disrespectful or accepted as part of modern workplace culture.

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Speaking during a podcast discussion, Bello said she could relate to Elumelu’s position because she has experienced similar situations involving younger people calling her simply “Shaffy.”

The actress explained that she does not believe age differences should be ignored when people interact, particularly in Nigerian society where respect for elders remains an important cultural value.

“When a child calls me by my name, Shaffy, I pull them closer and tell them, ‘You haven’t earned the right, and you never will,’” Bello said.

She said the issue becomes more striking when the person addressing her is around the same age as her children.

According to the actress, she would rather be addressed with a respectful title such as “Ma’am” than simply by her first name.

“I have a child as old as you are,” she said, maintaining that younger people should recognise the difference in age and address older people appropriately.

Bello also expressed discomfort with what she described as increasingly casual greetings, particularly when younger people approach her with a simple “Hi.”

“Whatever happened to Ma’am?” she asked, adding that she finds the greeting “Hi” difficult to embrace.

The veteran actress attributed differences in the way people address elders partly to upbringing and cultural background. She noted that customs vary across societies but maintained that respect should remain central to interactions between younger and older people.

Her remarks have since added another dimension to the debate triggered by the Elumelu incident, shifting attention from one viral encounter to the broader question of how age, status, culture and modern workplace etiquette should shape everyday communication in Nigeria.

While some Nigerians have supported the traditional expectation of using honorifics for older people, others have argued that professional environments should encourage more informal communication and that respect should be reflected in conduct rather than titles alone.

Bello’s position, however, is clear: for her, being older comes with a level of respect that should be reflected in how younger people address her.

The Traffic NG
Shaffy Bello
Amarachi Ihesiulo
The Traffic NG

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