Actress Shaffy Bello has weighed in on the debate about respect and how younger people should address their elders.
She says young people should not call older adults by their first names and should instead use titles like Ma’am or Mr.
Her comments follow a viral moment where a young woman called UBA boss Tony Elumelu by his first name and he corrected her, asking to be called Mr Elumelu or TOE instead.
The exchange sparked a wider conversation about respect and age.
Bello said she has her own rule.
When a young person calls her simply Shaffy, she pulls them closer and makes it clear they have not earned that right and never will.
She finds it especially uncomfortable because she has children the same age as some of the people trying to call her by her first name.
For Bello, the issue is bigger than just using someone’s first name.
She believes respect has disappeared and people no longer say Ma’am the way they used to.
She even said the casual greeting Hi irritates her because it lacks formality.
She acknowledged that different cultures and upbringing play a role in how people address older adults, and that practices differ across Nigeria and the United States.
But for her, the standard remains clear: younger people should show respect through proper forms of address.
According to Bello, even children in the United States use respectful titles when addressing older people.
“Even children in the U.S. call me ‘Ma,’” she said, stressing that respect for elders remains important to her.
Bello had previously explained that when younger people say to her “Hi Shaffy,” she understands that upbringing and cultural background may influence how they interact with older people.
However, she said she prefers to correct them with love rather than react harshly.
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