Paystack co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Ezra Olubi, has alleged that he was unfairly dismissed by the company while a formal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations was still underway. His claims were contained in a blog post published on Sunday, 23 November 2025, in which he said he was terminated without being granted an opportunity to respond to the accusations.

The controversy began in mid-November after a social media user, who had previously been in a relationship with Mr Olubi, posted personal complaints online.

The post triggered a wave of reactions, prompting internet users to circulate a series of explicit tweets he authored between 2009 and 2013. The tweets, many containing sexualised comments involving colleagues and minors, attracted widespread condemnation. Mr Olubi has since deactivated his X account.

Following the initial allegations, Paystack confirmed that it had suspended Mr Olubi and commenced an internal review. In a statement to TechCabal at the time, the company said, “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.”

Paystack also noted that it would not comment further “out of respect for the individuals involved and to protect the integrity of the process.”
In his blog post titled Terminated, Mr Olubi said the company acted before the investigation was concluded.
“Over the past few days, my name and reputation, built over years as co-founder and technical leader at Paystack, have been called into question because of information circulating online,” he wrote.

He said he remained silent once the board initiated what it described as an “independent” investigation, explaining that he did so “to avoid interfering with the investigation” and because he expected a “fair, thorough and unbiased review of the allegations being discussed online.”

Mr Olubi stated that he was dismissed without any opportunity to address the claims. “I was not given a meeting or an opportunity to respond before my contract was ended,” he wrote, arguing that the termination “appeared to contravene the terms of [his] suspension and the company’s internal policies.”

He added that the silence maintained during the investigation allowed “assumptions and misrepresentations to spread without challenge.”

He insisted that the resurfaced tweets were not reflective of his behaviour.
“Those who know me personally or professionally understand that the posts being circulated do not reflect my conduct or the way I have lived my life. I have always… conducted myself in a manner that respects everyone’s dignity and safety,” he wrote. He concluded that his legal team would “explore possible steps in response.”

Paystack, founded in 2015 by Mr Olubi and Shola Akinlade, became the first Nigerian startup to be accepted into Y Combinator in 2016 and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 in a deal valued at more than $200 million. Mr Olubi was awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by former President Muhammadu Buhari, joining the 450 awardees that year and bringing the total number of national honours recipients since 1963 to 5,341.

The dispute between Mr Olubi and Paystack remains unresolved, with the company yet to issue any further comment since the termination, and the outcome of the formal investigation still unknown.