Paystack fires co-founder Olubi over alleged sexual misconduct

Paystack co-founder Ezra Olubi says the company terminated his employment before completing an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate, calling the process unfair and inconsistent with the internal policies he helped develop.

In a blog post published on Sunday, 23 November, Olubi said he had been suspended a week earlier after Paystack announced what it described as an “independent” investigation into allegations circulating online.

He now claims he was dismissed “before the supposed investigation was concluded, and without any meeting, hearing, or opportunity to respond to the issues raised.”

According to him, his termination violated the company’s procedures. “My legal team is now reviewing the process that led to my purported termination, including its consistency with internal policies,” he wrote, adding that he would not comment further.

The allegations surfaced in mid-November when an online post accused Olubi of inappropriate conduct with a junior employee. The post triggered renewed attention to several decade-old tweets from Olubi, including one appearing to encourage inappropriate workplace touching.

“The posts being circulated do not reflect my conduct or the way I have lived my life,” he said, though he did not directly address the tweets.

Paystack confirmed at the time that Olubi had been suspended and that it would appoint an independent reviewer to lead the inquiry.

The company has not yet responded to Olubi’s latest claims. It remains unclear whether the investigation had formally begun or how far it had progressed before his dismissal. TechCabal has sought clarification on whether Olubi was given the opportunity to respond to the allegations before the decision was taken; the company had not replied at the time of publication.

Olubi’s statement focuses largely on the process leading to his termination rather than offering a detailed rebuttal of the allegations themselves. While he says the resurfaced tweets misrepresent him, he did not address the substance of the claims.