Paystack, the Stripe-owned Nigerian payments company, has suspended its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, following a sexual misconduct allegation involving a subordinate that emerged on social media this week.
In a statement on Thursday, the company confirmed the suspension and announced that a formal internal investigation is underway.
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take matters of this nature extremely seriously,” the company said. “Effective immediately, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending the outcome of a formal investigation.”
The company added that it will not provide further comment until the investigation is concluded.
The allegation gained traction on Wednesday after a Nigerian tech publication highlighted dozens of Olubi’s old social media posts. The resurfaced tweets — reportedly published between 2009 and 2013 — included sexually explicit remarks, comments about a coworker, and posts that referenced minors. One widely shared 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 one of Africa’s biggest tech success stories when it was acquired by U.S. payments giant Stripe in 2020 in a deal reported to exceed $200 million.
The controversy has triggered widespread debate online about workplace culture, accountability, and the broader dynamics of the Nigerian tech industry.
