Paystack co-founder and former CTO, Ezra Olubi, has accused the company of ending his contract without giving him a chance to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a blog post, Olubi said the termination came while an internal investigation was still ongoing and that he was denied a hearing to defend himself.
“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 explained that after the board suspended him and launched an “independent” investigation, he chose to remain silent. “Once that process began, I chose not to make any public statements. I did this to avoid interfering with the investigation and because I expected a fair, thorough and unbiased review of the allegations being discussed online.”
Olubi added, “I was not given a meeting or an opportunity to respond before my contract was ended,” suggesting the dismissal “appeared to contravene the terms of [his] suspension and the company’s internal policies.” He said his silence allowed “assumptions and misrepresentations to spread without challenge.”
Defending his character, Olubi insisted that resurfaced tweets from 2009 to 2013 do not reflect his conduct. “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.”
The allegations followed claims by an individual who had a previous relationship with Olubi, leading to renewed scrutiny of explicit past tweets. He has since deactivated his X account.
Founded in 2015 by Olubi and Shola Akinlade, Paystack became Nigeria’s first startup accepted into Y Combinator and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million. Olubi said his legal team would “explore possible steps in response” to the termination.
