The controversy surrounding Ezra Olubi, Paystack co-founder and CTO, has reached heightened proportions as the payment processing company has suspended him.
Starting from around 2010, Mr Olubi posted several controversial tweets, including sexually explicit jokes and comments that resurfaced online.
On Wednesday, a woman who previously had a relationship with Olubi published her personal complaints online, triggering renewed attention and widespread circulation of his old, controversial tweets.
TechCabal reports that Paystack has issued a statement announcing Mr Olubi’s suspension from his duties and responsibilities, pending the investigation’s outcome.
“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.”
“Out of respect for the individuals involved and to protect the integrity of the process, we will not be commenting further until the investigation is complete,” Paystack said.
In the past couple of days, Mr Olubi has come under heavy fire following recent allegations of sexual misconduct.
The Tech founder, who cuts a controversial figure, has often been identified as androgynous, meaning he has a combination of both masculine and feminine characteristics in appearance or identity.
Allegations
Mr Olubi’s travails began with social media allegations of sexual misconduct, which were intensified by the resurfacing of his past disturbing tweets.
Instablog reports that Max Obae, also known as Maki, a former partner of the Paystack co-founder, brought allegations of manipulation, abusive behaviour, and disturbing misconduct during and before their relationship.
In a live audio recording, which trended on the internet, Maki said she entered a polyamorous relationship with Mr Olubi in September 2023 involving herself and her wife.
She also alleged that the founder was sexually involved with a junior colleague of his.
Maki claimed she later became concerned about Olubi’s pattern of control, emotional detachment, and alleged mistreatment of domestic workers, describing his behaviour as manipulative, demeaning, and “psychotic.”
According to her, the Babcock University graduate pretended to be gay to lure feminists into his circle and slowly break the feminism out of them, through depressing humiliation rituals, using them as sex objects and keeping them in check with money.
Receipts
Following Maki’s expose, netizens dug up Mr Olubi’s old posts, which some have described as disturbing and reeking of depravity.
The posts on his now-deactivated X account covered topics from sexual harassment to downright paedophilia and subtle bestiality. The founder spared no words in describing his escapades.
In one of the posts, Mr Olubi, 39, claimed that having sex with a minor cures HIV, urging those living with the virus to explore that as an option.
“On a lighter note, I hear sex with a minor cures HIV. So my +ve followers, help yourselves. Ur neighbour’s daughter isn’t looking bad today,” he wrote.
He also claimed that he secretly records his female friends in his bathroom.
“I judge my female friends by the sound their pee makes. Thanks to the audio recorder in my bathroom,” a tweet from 2012 read.
He also, among many other things, claims to “like them young, innocent and clueless.”
Ezra Olubi
Born on 12 November 1986, Ezra Olubi is an IT expert, software engineer, mobile app developer, and entrepreneur.
He graduated from Babcock University in Nigeria, where he studied computer science alongside Shola Akinlade.
After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree, he worked with North Ocean Logistics and Solutions Limited, Softcom Imagio Limited, Softcom Limited Nigeria, Jobberman Limited, Delivery Science Incorporation, Alexander Haring Limited, and Paystack.
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In 2015, Mr Olubi co-founded Paystack alongside Shola Akinlade.
Paystack grew to become the leading payment system in Nigeria. In 2020, it was acquired by Stripe, a payment processing and software programming company, for USD 200 million.
In 2022, the late former president Muhammadu Buhari made him a member of the Order of the Niger (OON)
