Nigerian-American professor Uju Anya relieved by U.S. varsity over hateful comments, celebrating deaths of white people
Carnegie Mellon University professor Uju Anya has been relieved and will not teach courses at the university during the current academic year, the school said, following criticism of her social media posts about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and earlier comments about other public figures.
The university said Saturday that it was reviewing the matter after what it described as “hostile and threatening social media posts” by Anya, a tenured associate professor who teaches second-language acquisition.
“Dr. Uju Anya is currently on voluntary professional leave from the university and is not teaching courses on our campus this academic year,” Carnegie Mellon said in a statement posted on X. “We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing this matter closely.”
The university also said Anya’s comments did not represent the institution.
“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,” the statement said.
The controversy intensified after Anya responded to an X user who had criticized her history of comments about the deaths of white public figures. The exchange followed a post in which Anya referred to the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and wrote, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
In another post, Anya referred to Kirk, who was killed in 2025, using an expletive and said she hoped he would “rot in piss” on the anniversary of his death.
The posts prompted criticism from users on X, including billionaire Elon Musk, who wrote in a now-deleted repost: “This is a real professor at Carnegie Mellon University.”
Other social media users called on Carnegie Mellon to discipline Anya, with some accusing the university of failing to respond to earlier controversial statements.
Anya later deactivated her X account.
The professor has previously drawn widespread attention for comments about public figures and race. In September 2022, after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Anya wrote that the British monarch should experience severe pain, referring to Britain’s colonial history.
“I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating,” she wrote at the time.
Anya, who is of Nigerian Igbo heritage, has also been involved in contentious debates over ethnicity, language and race on social media. Her statements have generated criticism from Nigerians and others, particularly over her comments concerning the Hausa and Yoruba ethnic groups.
In 2022, she also faced criticism over her explanation of the term “Akata,” which she described as a Yoruba word used to refer to African Americans. Critics disputed that characterization.
Anya is a tenured associate professor of second-language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon and has served as director of the university’s language program.
