Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello has joined the growing conversation about respect and titles. This comes after a viral video showed UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu correcting a trainee who greeted him as “Tony.”
According to Vanguard, Bello said she also expects significantly younger people to address her respectfully. She would rather they did not simply call her by her first name.
Shaffy Bello insists on respectful titles
The actress explained that she normally corrects younger people when they address her simply as “Shaffy.” This is particularly true when they are around the same age as her children.
Bello argued that familiarity should not automatically remove traditional signs of respect between younger and older people.
“Whatever happened to Ma’am?” she asked.
She also revealed that she dislikes being casually greeted with “Hi.” She said such interactions sometimes clash with her understanding of respectful upbringing.
Elumelu video fuels wider conversation
Her comments emerged as Nigerians continued debating Elumelu’s exchange with a young UBA graduate trainee.
The trainee had greeted the businessman with “Good morning, Tony.” Elumelu then told her she could address him as Mr Elumelu, TOE or Chairman.
The brief moment subsequently divided social media users. Some backed Elumelu, while others argued that first-name communication has become normal in many modern workplaces.
Bello, however, said cultural background and upbringing remain important when deciding how younger people should address their elders.
She added that she prefers correcting people respectfully rather than responding harshly when such situations occur.
