Media executive, Mo Abudu has said she will not accept younger people casually calling her by her first name, adding her voice to a running argument about respect at work and in public.

Speaking on Toke Moments with Toke Makinwa, the EbonyLife founder said she was raised in Ondo by her grandmother and remains “very traditional.” “You can’t be calling me by my first name anyhow. I won’t take it,” she said.

Asked if she expected “Aunty,” she made clear that easy first-name use from younger people was not something she would accept.

The comments follow a viral clip in which UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu corrected a trainee who greeted him with “Good morning, Tony,” asking instead for “Mr Elumelu” or “TOE.” Some viewers called that corporate snobbery.

Others said a Nigerian workplace still owes elders and bosses a title.

Abudu said she is a little more forgiving if the younger person is not Yoruba, but she still corrects them politely. She also noted the sting of people who call those younger than her “Mummy” while addressing her by name.

The debate is less about one greeting than about two codes sharing the same office: global first-name culture and a local rule that age and status still shape how you speak. Abudu has planted herself on the traditional side.