Nigerian payments company, Paystack, has dismissed its co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), Ezra Olubi, amid public allegations of workplace and sexual misconduct.
- •The decision, which was first communicated by Olubi on his blog over the weekend, came while an internal review was still under way and before an independent investigator had concluded the process that the company previously said it would commission.
- •Paystack defended Olubi’s dismissal, stating that the company acted within its contractual rights and followed due process.
- •The departure marks one of the most consequential governance crises at a major African startup since Paystack’s acquisition by U.S. payments giant Stripe in 2020.
“As a regulated company operating in multiple markets, we have a responsibility to act quickly when conduct has the potential to undermine trust. After reviewing the situation, we exercised our right under his contract and followed due process to end his employment,” Paystack said in a statement.
The controversy surfaced in mid-November after a social-media post accused Olubi of inappropriate conduct involving an employee. The claims triggered renewed circulation of explicit and disturbing posts he wrote more than a decade ago, prompting Paystack to suspend him and begin a formal investigation. Olubi later deleted his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“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, to the best of my ability, conducted myself in a manner that respects everyone’s dignity and safety,” Olubi said.
He added that he had cooperated with the board-ordered review and expected the process to run its course. His dismissal, delivered without a formal meeting or opportunity to respond, appeared to depart from the terms of the suspension and the procedures that govern such reviews.
Paystack has emphasized that the termination was separate from an ongoing independent investigation into workplace misconduct allegations, which continues under an external law firm appointed by the board. Paystack confirmed that all financial obligations owed to Olubi were met and indicated that updates on the investigation would be shared once it concludes.
The case lands at a sensitive moment for Africa’s tech industry, which has faced a series of misconduct scandals involving high-profile founders. Nigerian fintech, Flutterwave, has been at the center of multiple complaints from former employees who accused senior executives of bullying, harassment, and inappropriate relationships with junior staff. Despite these claims, Flutterwave has consistently denied wrongdoing, stating it maintains “robust HR policies” and handles employee matters in accordance with company procedures.
In Kenya, the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered Pawa IT Solutions and its chief executive, Oscar Limoke, to pay KSh 1.32 million to a former employee after finding that the company failed to protect her from sexual harassment and assault.
The ruling, delivered in September this year, concluded that the CEO’s conduct and the company’s inadequate internal response created conditions that effectively forced the employee to resign, amounting to constructive dismissal under the Kenyan labour law.
