Co-founder and Chief Expertise Officer of Paystack, one of many main fintechs in Africa, Ezra Olubi, is at the moment in a giant mess following a storm of sexual misconduct allegations that erupted on-line.
What started as a cryptic social media submit shortly escalated right into a full-blown public scandal, dredging up previous tweets, igniting debates about energy, accountability, and office tradition in Africa’s tech ecosystem, and forcing one of many continent’s most influential fintech corporations to reply decisively.
Past Paystack’s promise of in-house investigation, Nigerians are actually calling for the involvement of the Nigerian police to probe what they described as Olubi’s “self-confessed atrocities.”
The disaster began brewing on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, when an X person referred to as @makispoke, who goes by the pseudonym Maki, posted a obscure however pointed message:
“This individual sleeps with their feminine subordinates. and this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Once I say they’re harmful, I imply precisely what I’m saying.”
The allegations have been unverified, however they unfold quickly. Requires a “#toxicbosses season II” trended as customers demanded transparency and accountability from Paystack.
Inside twelve hours, the allegations surged throughout X, accumulating greater than 180,000 posts. Many posts had little to do with the unique declare as customers started sharing recollections of “creepy vibes” at previous tech meetups, alleging inappropriate feedback, physique language, or insinuations.
Some customers even invoked Nigeria’s Legal Code, referencing heavy penalties for sexual offenses, together with youngster defilement.
A web-based petition emerged calling for the withdrawal of Olubi’s Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) nationwide award, which he obtained in 2022.
What was as soon as a dispute between people had now entered the realm of nationwide debate, magnified by feminist {groups}, tech commentators, and on-line watchdog communities.
On November 13, a brand new chapter opened when customers led by accounts like @creamlyn_ started circulating archived screenshots of tweets posted by Olubi between 2009 and 2013.
In one of many screenshots displaying a Sept 19, 2009 tweet, Olubi wrote: “Save water. Take a shower with ur neighbors daughter. cc: @iambolu.”
In one other posted in Could 2011, he tweeted: “Monday can be extra enjoyable with an ‘a’ in it. Contact a coworker at present. Inappropriately.”
See a number of the screenshots beneath:
Netizens described the posts as a “digital time capsule of depravity.” Although the tweets pre-dated the founding of Paystack in 2015, their resurfacing severely broken public notion and shifted the controversy from private allegations to broader questions of character and previous conduct.
By Thursday night, Olubi had deactivated his X account (@0x) with out issuing any public assertion. This silence deepened the outrage and hypothesis.
Earlier than the uproar, Olubi was extensively admired for: his unconventional androgynous vogue, his openness about queer identification, his advocacy for feminist and LGBTQ+ causes, and his position in constructing certainly one of Africa’s most profitable fintech platforms.
In 2022, Olubi was conferred with the nationwide award of Order of the Niger (OON) by former President Muhammadu Buhari, and he was one of many few younger Nigerians to have obtained such honour.
The distinction between this public persona and the disturbing allegations has magnified the general public response.
With the general public storm nonetheless intensifying, Paystack issued an official assertion to the media saying it has suspended Olubi and kicked off an investigation into the matter.
“Paystack is conscious of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take issues of this nature extraordinarily significantly. Efficient instantly, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and obligations pending the result of a proper investigation,” the firm said.
The corporate added that it will not remark additional till the investigation concluded.
For a fintech carefully tied to Stripe, with international traders and reputational publicity throughout Africa’s $1B+ digital funds sector, the assertion signalled urgency and intent to guard institutional integrity.
Past Paystack’s investigation, Nigerians are actually calling on the Police to hold out their very own investigation of the matter.
Particularly, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju requested the Nigeria Police Power (NPF) to open a proper investigation and probe the Paystack co-founder, Ezra Olubi, for alleged sexual misconduct.
Adeyanju made the demand in a press release posted on his X (previously Twitter) account on Friday, arguing that a number of provisions of Nigerian legislation empower the police to analyze the allegations with out ready for a proper petition.
He added that the allegations additionally border on “The offense of unnatural carnal information (bestiality) bestiality below Sec. 214 (2), Legal Code Act.
He added that the allegations additionally border on “The offense of unnatural carnal information (bestiality) bestiality below Sec. 214 (2), Legal Code Act.
“Voyeurism and illegal surveillance below the Cybercrimes Act, and sexual harassment and incitement to commit sexual offences below the VAPP Act and the Legal Code Act,” Adeyanju added.
