Ezra Olubi, the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Stripe-owned Nigerian payments company Paystack, has been suspended following a sexual misconduct allegation involving a subordinate that began circulating on social media this week.
Paystack confirmed the suspension, stating that a formal internal investigation has been opened into the matter.
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
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The company said it would not comment further until the investigation is complete.
The allegation surfaced on Wednesday on social media and intensified after a Nigerian tech publication reported on dozens of Olubi’s decade-old social media posts.
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The resurfaced tweets, reportedly posted between 2009 and 2013, contained sexually explicit comments, referenced wanting to photograph a coworker’s thighs, and included comments involving minors. One 2011 tweet that resurfaced read: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
Read more of the tweets below:
Olubi co-founded Paystack in 2015 alongside CEO Shola Akinlade. The company became a centerpiece of African tech success when it was acquired by the U.S. payments giant Stripe in 2020 for a reported sum exceeding $200 million.
The controversy has sparked widespread discussion on social media about corporate accountability and the culture within the Nigerian tech ecosystem.
