Paystack, a Nigerian fintech company owned by Stripe, has placed its Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, on suspension after an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a junior staff member surfaced online.
The issue which circulated online on Wednesday after a former associate of Olubi posted a personal account on X.
The disclosure prompted users to revisit several old tweets posted by Olubi between 2009 and 2013, many of which contained sexually inappropriate comments.
The revived posts triggered widespread criticism and renewed conversation about professional ethics, online behaviour, and accountability for digital actions, even many years later. Amid the backlash, Olubi deactivated his X account.
Several of the rediscovered tweets caused particular outrage. Among them were comments such as: “I judge my female friends by the sound of their pee… thanks to the audio in my bathroom,” and “Save water. Take a bath with your neighbour’s daughter.”
READ ALSO:
Another tweet from 2011 read: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
X users took to their respective pages to react strongly as screenshots spread across the platform.
One user wrote, “These tweets are beyond jokes. This is disturbing behaviour, not banter.”
Another posted, “People keep saying ‘it was years ago,’ but some things are unacceptable no matter the year.”
A third commenter questioned Paystack’s oversight, saying, “If regular users can find these old tweets in minutes, how did a major fintech company miss them for nearly a decade?”
Others expressed concern about the broader tech ecosystem, with one user noting, “This isn’t just about one man. It’s about the culture in the industry and what has been ignored for too long.”
On Friday, TechCabal reported that Paystack had begun an internal investigation into the allegations. The company confirmed the development in a statement provided to the publication.
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take issues of this nature extremely seriously,” the statement read. “Effective immediately, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending the conclusion of a formal investigation.”
The company added that no further comments would be made until the inquiry is completed to ensure the integrity of the process and protect all individuals involved.
Olubi and Shola Akinlade founded Paystack in 2015, and the platform has since become a major player in Africa’s digital payments landscape.
In 2020, the company was acquired by global payments leader Stripe in a deal reportedly valued at more than $200 million, marking one of Nigeria’s most notable fintech acquisitions.
