Mo Abudu, the renowned Nigerian media mogul, recently shared her views on respect and cultural values regarding how elders should be addressed.
In an interview on Toke Moments, Abudu described herself as very traditional, emphasizing that she does not tolerate younger people calling her by her first name.
Abudu attributed this stance to her upbringing in Ondo by her grandmother, explaining, “I was raised in Ondo by my grandmother, so you can’t be calling me by my name anyhow; I won’t accept it.
She added that she always corrects younger people who address her informally, stressing that she expects a certain level of respect rooted in Yoruba culture.
The most annoying thing is that some of these people call people I’m older than ‘mummy’,” she said.
However, Abudu noted that she is more understanding when non-Yoruba individuals address her casually. “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. It’s just important that we never forget our culture; that’s how we were taught.”
Her remarks follow a recent viral incident at the UBA Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation, where a lady addressed Tony Elumelu, the bank’s chairman, by his first name and was promptly corrected. The episode ignited online debate, with some defending the use of first names in corporate settings, while others argued that cultural norms should be respected within the Nigerian context.
