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

Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, is currently investigating recent social media posts by Nigerian-born academic Dr Uju Anya, labeling them as "hostile and threatening." This is not the first time the university has addressed Anya's online conduct. In 2022, she faced widespread criticism for tweets wishing Queen Elizabeth II an "excruciating" pain.

The latest controversy erupted after several posts attributed to Anya on X platform came under intense scrutiny, with the most recent post allegedly containing a death threat towards a "white man." The controversy intensified on Friday after screenshots of a "hostile" exchange between Anya and a user on X were publicly shared by Wuhan Fourth Turning Swan.

According to the user, Anya responded to a post about the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh by writing, "Rush Limbaugh finally did something positive in life by dropping dead. Good riddance to bad rubbish." She then replied, "Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing." In response to the backlash, the university placed Anya on voluntary professional leave and clarified that her posts do not reflect the university's endorsement and are against their community standards.

Anya's social media presence was reportedly deactivated due to the controversy, though it could not be independently verified. The situation has also caught the attention of X owner Elon Musk, who quoted a discussion about Anya's full name and her status as a faculty member at CMU since 2021.