Akinbinu Akintan Akinkunle has criticised activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, over his comments concerning the recent incident involving UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu, and a young lady at a public event.
Akinkunle, in a post shared on Facebook, argued that activism should not automatically be equated with intelligence, stressing that proper understanding of an issue and adequate research should precede public commentary.
According to Akinkunle, Sowore’s reaction appeared to overlook some basic facts surrounding the incident, particularly the corporate status of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Elumelu’s position within the institution.
He noted that Elumelu did not establish UBA Group or personally acquire the bank, describing him instead as the chairman of a publicly listed institution owned by thousands of shareholders.
Akinkunle also defended the criticism directed at the young lady over the manner in which Elumelu was addressed during the event.
He pointed out that several people had asked questions before her and had addressed Elumelu with salutations such as “Mr. Elumelu” or “Mr. Chairman.”
According to him, the difference in approach demonstrated the importance of social intelligence, which involves observing the environment, reading the room and understanding how others conduct themselves.
He further argued that workplace policies encouraging employees to address colleagues by their first names should not automatically be extended to formal interactions with the chairman of an organisation.
“Context matters,” Akinkunle stated, stressing that there is a distinction between addressing workplace colleagues and addressing the chairman of an organisation at a formal gathering.
On the aftermath of the incident, Akinkunle noted that the young lady was corrected but was still allowed to ask her question. He added that both parties laughed about the exchange and that Elumelu reportedly advised her on navigating social media and maintaining appropriate boundaries around work.
He therefore questioned the need to turn what he described as a brief moment of correction into a national controversy when the individuals directly involved had already moved on.
Akinkunle also urged Sowore to study countries such as China, Japan, India and several Arab countries, arguing that the societies have embraced modernisation and globalisation without completely abandoning their cultural values, traditions and systems of respect.
He warned that continually dismissing traditional values as outdated or oppressive could influence younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, to regard respect, restraint and social awareness as irrelevant.
“Correcting a young person is not oppression, and respect is not servitude,” Akinkunle wrote, adding that society could embrace progress without producing a generation that mistakes discourtesy for confidence or disrespect for freedom.
He concluded by urging influential public figures to be careful about the values and messages amplified to younger audiences.
“Tread carefully. The values we normalise today are the character traits society will have to confront tomorrow,” he wrote.