Use honorifics and professional titles when addressing people, especially elders, officials, and anyone with a known role, such as Mr., Mrs., Dr., Chief,
Alhaji, or
Pastor, until invited to use first names. In many settings, titles signal respect and social standing, and people may also use kinship terms like uncle or aunty for older acquaintances, while in more formal or traditional contexts a person’s title can matter more than their surname.