Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu has said she does not tolerate younger people addressing her by her first name, describing herself as a “very traditional” person who places a strong emphasis on respect for elders.
Gatekeepers News reports that Abudu made the remarks during an interview on Toke Moments, where she attributed her views on respect and cultural values to the way she was raised by her grandmother in Ondo State.
The 61-year-old media executive said she corrects younger people who address her casually, although she is more lenient when dealing with people from non-Yoruba backgrounds who may not be familiar with the cultural expectations around addressing elders.
“I’m very traditional. I was raised in Ondo by my grandmother, so you can’t be calling me by my name anyhow; I won’t accept it. The most annoying thing is that some of these people call people I’m older than ‘mummy’,” she said.
Abudu explained that she usually asks younger people about their background when they greet her casually, noting that she is more understanding if they are not Yoruba.
“When someone younger greets me ‘hi’, I call them and always like to know where they’re from first because if they’re not Yoruba, I can be a little bit more forgiving. But I correct them politely,” she said.
She stressed that younger generations should not lose sight of cultural values surrounding respect for elders.
“It’s just important that we never forget our culture; that’s how we were taught.”
Abudu’s comments come days after a video from the graduation ceremony of the UBA Graduate Management Accelerated Programme went viral after a young woman addressed Tony Elumelu, chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), by his first name.
Elumelu corrected her during the exchange, sparking a debate on social media over whether younger people should address senior figures by their first names, particularly in professional settings.
While some Nigerians defended the woman, arguing that first-name communication is common in modern corporate environments, others criticised her for failing to take traditional Nigerian expectations around respect for elders into consideration.
Abudu’s remarks have now added another prominent voice to the ongoing conversation about the balance between modern workplace culture and traditional values of respect.
