By Ghazali Ibrahim
Nigeria’s fintech pioneer Paystack has suspended its co‑founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, after allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate emerged on social media and prompted internal review, BlackBox Nigeria has learnt.
In a statement, Paystack confirmed it is “aware of the allegations involving our co‑founder… and takes 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 allegations surfaced online on November 12, 2025, and include claims of unwanted advances toward a subordinate.
They also triggered resurfacing of decade‑old tweets by Olubi from 2009‑2013 in which he reportedly made sexually explicit remarks about colleagues and references to minors.
Between 2009 and 2013, Olubi shared multiple tweets featuring sexually explicit humor about colleagues, including remarks about experiencing erections during meetings, expressing a desire to photograph a coworker’s thighs, and making inappropriate references to minors and sexualized anime characters.
In one tweet dated May 23, 2011, he wrote: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
There are several other tweet which is offensive to reproduce.
Olubi, who co‑founded Paystack in 2015 alongside Shola Akinlade and helped lead its growth into one of Africa’s most valuable fintech startups, has not publicly responded to the allegations, and his X account was deactivated on November 13, 2025.
The incident has sparked broader industry concern over workplace culture and accountability in Nigeria’s fast‑growing tech ecosystem.
Analysts say the case places pressure on Nigerian tech firms and investors to adopt clearer misconduct policies and stronger enforcement.
For now, Paystack’s board and parent company Stripe are under watch to see how the investigation is conducted and what sanctions, if any, will follow.
The suspension of a high‑profile co‑founder under such circumstances is likely to prompt internal reviews across the sector.
