When you meet Nigerians in a neutral place and for the first time, they wait to hear what you do for a living to estimate how much money/influence you have, so they can de ide how much respect to give you.
It even changes how they greet you.

Especially when you don't dress like a "big man" or "big woman"
We have built a culture of "The Woship of Wealth" and we are all complicit.
The more garish the display, the more "respect" is given.
From govt offices to banks to private companies to religious gatherings.

When you go to certain buildings, the guards insist on where you park depending on the type of car you drive. I have been questioned like a thief because I took an Uber while I've been treated like royalty when I went with a Range. Same company, different days.

If you drive a Corolla, oga park outside.
Nice SUV with factory tint, the gate is flung open. They'll even open your car door and almost carry you into the building.
In some churches, ushers choose where you sit based on who you are and how you dress.

It's sometimes quite sublimal and we all do it to varying degrees. Sometimes, it's overt like the security guards, other times it's very subtle like in a corporate environment where staff greet you differently once you're an oga.
How we bend our heads when greeting the MD.

There's also the flip side where "those who have arrived" fully expect to be treated with deference by those "beneath them"
So the cycle continues.
I once worked in a bank where staff took to their heels when they see the MD cos someone was once fired for not greeting properly

I them worked for another bank where all staff were on first name basis "as a policy" and the MD hated being greeted. It was really weird for me. A Senior Manager was suspended for referring to the MD in a meeting as "Mr MD, sir" and not by his first name.

As a people we need to do better.
Examine yourself and your own biases.
Make changes where needed, whether you're the giver or receiver of "respect".
Then teach your children to be good human beings.
People may respect you...
Or not.
It shouldn't matter, either way.