Uju Anya faces backlash as US varsity reviews ‘hostile’ social media posts

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Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, is reviewing recent social media posts by Nigerian-born academic, Dr Uju Anya, describing them as “hostile and threatening,” following intense online backlash.

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This is not the first time the university has condemned Anya’s online activity. In 2022, she drew widespread criticism for posts wishing Queen Elizabeth II an “excruciating” pain.

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The latest intervention followed mounting criticism of several posts attributed to Anya on X, with the most recent centred on a reply in which she allegedly wished death upon a “white man,” prompting reactions and calls for sanctions, including from X owner Elon Musk.

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PUNCH Online gathered that the row intensified on Friday after an X user, Wuhan Fourth Turning Swan (@TheWuhanClan), publicly shared screenshots and details of an “hostile” exchange involving Anya.

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According to the account and widely circulated material, @TheWuhanClan quoted Anya’s February 17, 2021, post about the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, in which she wrote, “Rush Limbaugh finally did something positive in life by dropping dead. Good Riddance to bad rubbish.”

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The user replied, “Weird how you only celebrate the deaths of white people. Why is that?”

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Anya then responded, “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”

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In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the university said: “Dr Uju Anya is currently on voluntary professional leave from the university and is not teaching courses on our campus this academic year.

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“We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing this matter closely.”

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In a follow-up post, Carnegie Mellon clarified: “To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement and are contrary to our community standards and values as well as our commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and welcoming campus community.”

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Anya’s X account was no longer accessible after the backlash, leading to reports that she had deactivated it.

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PUNCH Online could not independently confirm whether she removed the account herself or whether it became unavailable for another reason.

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@TheWuhanClan posted a series of messages about the incident.

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In one, the user wrote: “I take this death threat against me very seriously, and your failure to discipline her wishing death and injury on multiple others in the past has encouraged her to behave even more belligerently. She is laughing about how you won’t do shit. Own this.”

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In another comment on the CMU statement, the account stated, “Her posts imply you endorse this behavior. Why would anyone pay 70k to attend your school or donate to be exposed to this filth and violence?”

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The matter also drew attention from Elon Musk, who posted, “This is a real professor at Carnegie Mellon University …” while quoting a Grok discussion which stated Anya’s full name as Obianuju Anya and identified her as a staff member of CMU since 2021.

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The university did not identify all the posts under review or specify whether the circulating screenshot of the “Die first, white man…” message was among them.

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It also did not announce that Anya had been suspended, dismissed or subjected to any other disciplinary sanction.

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Anya is an associate professor of second-language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics.

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As of the time of filing this report, she had not publicly responded to the university’s statements or the growing controversy.

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The 2022 Queen Elizabeth controversy

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In September 2022, Anya faced global backlash after tweeting, hours before Queen Elizabeth II’s death: “I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating.”

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The post was later deleted for violating Twitter rules.

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She followed up after the Queen’s death was announced, writing that she felt only disdain for the monarch whose government she said sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half her family during the Nigerian Civil War (Biafra, 1967–1970).

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In an interview with The Cut, Anya explained that the Queen’s throne represented the legacy of enslavement and colonialism.

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She said her parents were colonial subjects, one from Trinidad and one from Nigeria, who survived the Biafran conflict.

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She claimed the British government funded and gave political cover to the Nigerian side, and that the harm shaped her life and that of many others.

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“Half of my family was slaughtered with guns and bombs that this queen sent to kill us,” she stated.

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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos quote-tweeted her original post, questioning how someone working to make the world better could write such words. Anya replied by wishing that those harmed by Bezos would remember him as fondly as she remembered her “colonisers.”

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While many condemned the remarks, some Nigerians, including Nollywood actor Yul Edochie, backed her.n

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Edochie said she had spoken “our truth” and thanked her for speaking for their people.

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Anya later publicly thanked Nigerians, especially those from Alaigbo, for their support, saying they had shared their pain and taught the world their history.n

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