Ezra Olubi Even Calls Himself God With a Capital G! -By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi

Sentiment analysis shows that what some folks find most offensive about the alleged degeneracy and depravity of the Chief Technology Officer of Paystack, Ezra Olubi, is his identifying as God. Perhaps the righteous indignation wouldn’t be if the payments solution co-founder was only appropriating Psalm 82:6, rather than arrogantly arrogating the appellation of the Supreme Being. It is devil-may-care apostasy and blasphemy for a supposed atheist who wears a pendant of the crucifix upside down to call himself God!

No need to bore you with the disturbing charges of debauchery against the cross-dressing programmer who wears lipstick and paints his nails. His vices dot the blogosphere for those who care, ditto for his confessed repugnant past online pastime. However, what can be safely reported here is that the wealthy techpreneur, who describes himself as androgynous, is currently on suspension at Paystack, the fintech company he co-founded.

Here’s how the payments company acquired by Stripe for USD200 million, responded following trending allegations of sexual misconduct: “Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take matters of this nature extremely seriously. Effective immediately, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending the outcome of a formal investigation.”

Recall that this is the same Ezra who appeared so weird to then-President Muhammadu Buhari that he couldn’t help but look at him funny after conferring the OON national honour on the programming wizard. After digital natives dug up videos of the October 2022 spectacle, the buzz online goes something like: “Who knows what Buhari saw that made him shocked at the sight of Ezra.” Yet, it’s the triumph of sheer ingenuity for the 39-year-old to be already admitted into the Order Of The Niger (OON). The honour was in recognition of his significant contributions to Nigeria’s technology and innovation ecosystem.

Be that as it may, if you’ve been following the unfolding narratives online, you must have noticed how the attention has since shifted to Ezra’s upbringing. People who claim to know him have been tying his present to his past with their blogging. The Church that raised him has been dragged into the fray for its penchant and preference for military-style parenting that brooks no opposition. Let’s therefore berth here.

Mercifully, the same holy assembly was hailed for its “rigorous discipline” that makes children “have some form of thirst for godly success.” The Church’s quarterly Success Camp of those days was also applauded for turning average kids into geniuses. “You had all that it took to be a well-rounded, successful person drummed into your consciousness week in, week out, when you were between the ages of 11 and 17,” read part of a viral post on Ezra’s unraveling. You only needed to check the comments to find interesting perspectives and backstories.

Cutting through the noise, it does appear that the young Ezra had lots of questions about God and himself, which he couldn’t freely express while growing up. This has always been the bane of religion. Christianity, when practiced as a religion, confuses so many things and makes questioning inconsistencies taboo. A bright and inquisitive mind like Ezra’s must have suffered some burning questions that not many senior pastors can satisfactorily answer, or he dared not ask.

If you consider this an exaggeration, consider this account about 12-year-old Jesus in Luke 2:46-47 (KJV): “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” This could have well been said of Ezra without prejudice to his unwholesome identification as God. The question to ask is: Did the Church and parents allow boy Ezra such open interactions, or did they, like Jesus’s parents, fault him for going beyond them in his quest for clarity and understanding?

This here, by one of the bloggers, provides some context: “Many of the young people who had and asked ‘questions’ and were shut down, experienced such because the youth ministers (including major leaders) of then days did not have a clue. They did not have the answers. They themselves were zombie followers who had little or no conviction of their own. All they knew and taught were things handed to them in leaders/workers meetings and in general church teachings.”

If this was really the case, the Church must look inwards and do better! Rather than playing God, the Church and parents will do well to allow children and teens a personal experience of God. Posing as teachers in settings where there are grey areas that mustn’t be broached can only push curious children into rebellion. Here’s what Ezra let out in an interview he granted three years ago: “I remember my dad actually made a comment and he was the first person that made me know the word – effeminate.” This speaks volumes about their kind of relationship. Adopting the derogatory term equally gives an inkling into the son’s non-conformism!

The lesson in the Lord Jesus requesting that children, warts and all, be allowed into His bosom mustn’t be lost on religious parents and the Church. They need not be bothered about the minors’ impropriety and puerility since Christ is ready to level up with them and afford them bespoke experiential knowledge. Such an encounter is even expedient for formative years, since it guarantees that no one or nothing snatches these kids from God as they go through life.

Let it be known that just as Jesus granted everyone access to God through the torn veil, the Church and parents must eliminate every encumbrance to their kids’ direct contact with the Spirit of God. This will preserve the likes of Ezra, who have more insight than all their teachers. In fact, parents and the Church have the responsibility of exposing their little ones to the Holy Spirit, who, as the fountain of all wisdom, can interpret what beats scholars and philosophers hollow!

VIS Ugochukwu writes from Lagos, and tweets @sylvesugwuanyi