Media personality Morayo Brown has shared her view on the controversy involving billionaire businessman Tony Elumelu and a graduate trainee, arguing that Nigeria’s middle class has played a major role in changing traditional standards of respect in the workplace.
Brown spoke in an Instagram video while reacting to the viral clip, which sparked widespread debate about professional conduct, workplace hierarchy and how younger Nigerians should address senior figures.
The talk show host said she did not believe the graduate trainee deliberately acted disrespectfully. Instead, she suggested that the young woman may have simply followed the workplace culture she had been exposed to.
According to Brown, many Nigerians adopt Western professional practices without considering whether they fit into the country’s cultural values.
She drew from her personal experiences, recalling how her older sister returned from the United Kingdom and wanted family members to address her by her first name, a practice that was later discouraged.
Brown also referred to an incident from her time on Your View, when a fellow panellist addressed a guest, Honourable Abike, by her first name in line with journalistic practice. While she understood the professional basis for doing so, Brown said such an approach could conflict with Nigerian cultural expectations regarding respect.
She said the same principle guided her decision when veteran broadcaster Agatha Amata appeared on The Morayo Show. Brown continued to address her as “Auntie Agatha” despite being corrected during the programme
Brown argued that Nigerian companies, particularly new-generation banks and multinational firms influenced by Silicon Valley culture, contributed to the decline of traditional forms of respect in professional spaces.
She maintained that modern workplace standards should not require Nigerians to abandon their cultural identity.
“Professionalism does not have to mean abandoning culture. Modernity does not have to mean disrespect,” Brown said.
The media personality further argued that other countries have managed to embrace global business practices without discarding their cultural values, citing nations such as India, Japan and France
On the graduate trainee at the centre of the controversy, Brown said she doubted that the young woman intended to disrespect Elumelu, suggesting that someone within the corporate environment may have taught her that such an informal approach was acceptable.
Her comments have since generated reactions online, with some Nigerians agreeing that workplace professionalism should reflect local cultural values, while others maintained that professional etiquette should not necessarily be tied to age, wealth or social status.
The controversy surrounding the viral video has continued to fuel discussions about respect, workplace culture and the influence of Western corporate practices in Nigeria.
