Nigerian fintech giant Paystack has been thrown into a reputational storm following explosive allegations of abusive behavior and the emergence of disturbing historic tweets linked to its Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi.
The controversy, which has dominated discussions across social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has sparked widespread outrage and raised serious questions about corporate ethics, workplace safety, and accountability within Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
The uproar, NewsOnline gathered, began after finance professional Max Obae (@makispoke) made several serious accusations against Olubi, citing alleged mistreatment of domestic staff, workplace misconduct, and manipulative behavior in a personal relationship.
While her initial post did not name Olubi directly, online users quickly drew connections to the Paystack co-founder, prompting a deeper probe into his social media history.
Disturbing Tweets Resurface
As the scandal gained traction, old tweets from Olubi’s account resurfaced, containing content widely condemned as offensive and inappropriate. Some of the posts allegedly referenced explicit or disturbing themes, sparking outrage and calls for corporate accountability.
Paystack has suspended its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, following a sexual misconduct allegation involving a subordinate that surfaced on social media this week.In a statement on Thursday, the company confirmed that Olubi has been relieved of all duties pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take matters of this nature extremely seriously. Effective immediately, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending the outcome of a formal investigation,” the company announced.
Paystack added that it would not issue further comments until the investigation is concluded.
The allegation, which first appeared on social media on Wednesday, escalated after a Nigerian tech publication unearthed several of Olubi’s old tweets posted between 2009 and 2013. The resurfaced posts contained sexually explicit comments, references to photographing a coworker’s thighs, and remarks involving minors. One widely circulated tweet from 2011 read: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
Olubi co-founded Paystack in 2015 with CEO Shola Akinlade. The company became a landmark African tech success story when U.S. payments giant Stripe acquired it in 2020 for over $200 million.
The revelations have triggered widespread debate on social media about corporate accountability and workplace culture in Nigeria’s tech sector, with many calling for transparency and stronger safeguards in the industry.
