‘Die first, white man’: US university probes Nigerian-origin professor Uju Anya’s ‘threatening’ social media posts

Nigerian-origin professor at Carnegie Mellon University Uju Anya’s social media posts trigger outrage.

Carnegie Mellon University has launched a review of social media posts attributed to Nigerian-born professor Uju Anya after a fresh backlash over remarks described by the university as “hostile and threatening”. The university said Anya, an associate professor of second-language acquisition in its Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, is currently on voluntary professional leave and is not teaching on campus during the 2026-27 academic year.“We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing this matter closely,” Carnegie Mellon said in a statement posted on X.The university also clarified that the posts did not represent its views and said they were contrary to its community standards and values, as well as its commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful campus.The controversy centres on a resurfaced exchange on X involving Anya and an account identified as @TheWuhanClan. The exchange starts from a post in February 2021, when Anya commented on the death of conservative US radio host Rush Limbaugh.After the account accused her of celebrating the deaths of white people, Anya responded with a post telling the user to “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”The X account later directly addressed the university, alleging that Anya had made similar comments in the past and accusing Carnegie Mellon of failing to discipline her. The account described the latest post as a death threat and demanded that the university “own” the controversy.The issue also drew attention from billionaire Elon Musk, who commented on the controversy on X while identifying Anya as a professor at Carnegie Mellon.Anya’s X account became inaccessible amid the backlash, with reports suggesting that the account had been deactivated. She had not publicly responded to Carnegie Mellon’s latest statements as of Saturday.Meanwhile, Anya made disparaging posts on Charlie Kirk’s death anniversary and wished ‘Eid al Kirk mubarak’.The latest controversy is not the first time Anya’s social media posts have attracted international attention.In September 2022, she faced widespread criticism after posting comments about the late Queen Elizabeth II shortly before the monarch’s death. Anya accused the British monarchy of representing the legacy of colonialism and blamed Britain for supporting the Nigerian government during the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, from 1967 to 1970.Anya later explained that members of her family had been killed and displaced during the conflict and that the history of British involvement in Nigeria shaped her views of the monarchy. Her comments at the time also drew reactions from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who questioned how someone seeking to make the world better could make such remarks.