Ezra Olubi Faces Subordinate Assault Claims, Adding to Controversy Over Past Jokes About Minors

Paystack co-founder Ezra Olubi is currently under a lot of heat after facing serious allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. The Nigerian fintech giant, Paystack, which was acquired by Stripe in 2020, has suspended Olubi pending a formal investigation into these claims. This whole situation has been made worse by the resurfacing of old social media posts from Olubi that date back between 2010 and 2017. These posts contain explicit, controversial, and offensive content, which many are now scrutinizing closely.

Ezra Olubi, who is 39 years old and a computer science graduate from Babcock University, co-founded Paystack in 2015 with Shola Akinlade. Paystack quickly became a leading online payment platform across Africa, handling billions in transactions and securing a major $200 million acquisition deal with Stripe, a US-based company. As the Chief Technology Officer, Olubi was crucial to Paystack’s technical development and earned recognition as a notable figure in Nigeria’s tech industry. However, these recent allegations and the troubling tweets have thrown his reputation into question, sparking conversations about behavior and accountability within the tech world.

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The controversy took a major turn after Olubi’s ex-partner, Max Obae, who is also known online as Maki, made public accusations against him on social media. She accused him of misogyny, emotional abuse, and sexually exploiting women. Maki shared that Olubi allegedly pretended to be gay to attract feminists and then manipulated them through humiliating rituals, using them as sex objects and controlling them with money. She described their breakup as cold and business-like, ending with an email she referred to as “Severance.” 

Following these allegations, people online dug up disturbing tweets from Olubi’s past on his X account @0x. Among these posts, some were downright shocking and inappropriate. For instance, a tweet from 2010 joked about sex with minors curing HIV, and another from 2012 talked about judging female friends by the sound of their urine. Other tweets suggested inappropriate touching of coworkers and sexual remarks during meetings. There were also mentions of photographing coworkers’ thighs and making explicit references to minors and sexualized anime characters. Although these posts are from over a decade ago, their recent resurfacing has led many to call for accountability, especially in tech spaces that are still dealing with issues of workplace culture.

In response to the uproar, Olubi deactivated his X account on November 13, 2025, but has yet to speak out publicly about the allegations or the revived tweets. Paystack confirmed his suspension on November 14, emphasizing that they are taking the matter very seriously and have put him on leave while a formal investigation is underway. They stressed that this process aims to protect the integrity of the investigation and said they will not provide further comments until it is complete.

The allegations against Paystack co-founder Ezra Olubi go beyond his personal life and include claims of misconduct at work involving a subordinate, adding concerns about power abuse within startups in Africa. This is particularly sensitive because the rapid growth of tech companies often outpaces the development of strong human resources policies. Olubi is not the only high-profile figure in Nigeria’s tech industry facing such scrutiny; the sector has been confronting similar issues of harassment and misconduct in recent times.

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Known for his unique style, including wearing makeup and painted nails, Olubi has previously talked about facing harassment because of his looks. Yet now, the spotlight is firmly on the claims against him and what they mean for Paystack, a company that supports over 60,000 businesses across Africa. Adding to the tension, Patricia founder Hanu Fejiro has publicly called for Olubi’s arrest, accusing him of being a paedophile and misogynist, based on some of the troubling tweets and the new allegations.

This story remains active, with updates expected as the investigation progresses and the company decides how to handle the situation moving forward.

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