Paystack co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, has deactivated his X (formerly Twitter) account following renewed backlash over a series of old tweets from 2010 to 2017 that resurfaced on Thursday.
The controversy erupted after Nigerians dug up old posts by Ezra following allegations from his ex-partner, Max Obae, known as Maki. She accused Olubi of misogyny, abuse, and sexual exploitation, ending their relationship via an email with its subject titled ‘Severance’.
Maki also revealed that Ezra allegedly operated a burner account under the name ‘Akeem’, which began deleting tweets on Wednesday.
Maki alleged that Ezra pretended to be a 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.
On Thursday, social media users dug up some of Ezra Olubi’s old tweets, including one from 2010, where he wrote, “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.”
Another tweet from 2012 read, “I judge my female friends by the sound their pee makes. Thanks to the audio recorder in my bathroom.”
Many other tweets deemed highly offensive circulated online but are too explicit to reproduce.
The reappearance of the old posts triggered a wave of online backlash, trending under Ezra’s name late Thursday, with users describing the tweets as “insensitive” and “offensive.”
Prior to deactivating his account, Ezra had already been trending in Nigeria after an online dispute involving his ex-girlfriend, Maki. The confrontation, which unfolded on X, was dubbed the “Ezra network of love” by social media observers, drawing widespread attention to his personal life.
Adding to the public scrutiny, Ezra celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, a day that coincided with renewed discussion about his past and present controversies.
Ezra, the co-founder of Paystack, is known for his flamboyant style and advocacy for personal expression. In 2022, late former President Muhammadu Buhari awarded him the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honour in recognition of his contributions to Nigeria’s fintech industry. He received the honour alongside his co-founder, Shola Akinlade, for their pioneering work in fintech.
As of Thursday evening, searches for his X handle returned “This account no longer exists,” confirming that the Paystack executive had indeed deactivated his profile amid the emerging controversy.
