OPay: We are not shutting down, over 7,000 staff still working in Nigeria

OPay has publicly denied rumours that it is shutting down or taking an indefinite break in Nigeria. The company stated that its services, merchants, employees, and physical offices are fully operational.

The fintech addressed these claims during a live town hall meeting in Lagos on Wednesday. This followed several days of speculation on social media that customers should withdraw their funds from the platform.

Dotun Adekunle, OPay’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer, confirmed that the company has remained operational despite rumours suggesting a shutdown on September 1. “The message circulating online is false and did not originate from OPay,” Adekunle stated.

He reassured customers that they can continue to transfer money, pay bills, and use other OPay services, while merchants can keep receiving payments. Additionally, Adekunle mentioned that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also identified the circulating information as inaccurate.

OPay says it has expanded, not shut down, threatens legal action over misinformation

The fintech has responded to recent claims about its operations by highlighting its ongoing activities. According to Adekunle, the company has over 7,000 employees in Nigeria and has opened more than 26 new customer-support offices in various states this year.

Adekunle also said that more than one million merchants are currently using their services, along with millions of customers.

Adekunle reassured that the company’s technology and operations teams are functioning normally, especially as they closely monitored their systems on September 1 due to the shutdown rumours. “We are here to stay. We are here to play,” he stated.

OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Moses Rokosu said that the company is working with regulators and law enforcement to address the false claims. He confirmed that the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies are investigating the situation, while the company is fully cooperating.

Similar read: OPay threatens legal action against 3 social media users over false shutdown claims

Rokosu also stated that the company is taking legal action against those spreading these claims and urged customers to rely only on official communication from the company. They emphasised the importance of not sharing sensitive information like PINs, passwords, and OTPs with anyone claiming to represent the fintech.

This town hall event followed reports that OPay had sent legal notices to three social media users for suggesting the company would shut down and advising customers to withdraw their funds.

Read also: Behind every transaction you complete on OPay, an invisible system is working harder than you think