Dr. Uju Anya under fire as Carnegie Mellon University reviews ‘hostile’ social media posts

By Tolulope Oke

Carnegie Mellon University has launched a review of recent social media posts by Nigerian-born academic Dr Uju Anya, describing them as “hostile and threatening.”

The university’s intervention came as Anya faced mounting criticism over several posts attributed to her on X.

In one widely circulated screenshot, Anya allegedly wrote: “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”

Her X account was no longer accessible following the backlash, sparking reports that she had deactivated it. PM NEWS could not independently establish whether Anya removed the account herself or whether it became unavailable for another reason.

Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that Anya was currently on voluntary professional leave and would not teach courses on its campus during the current academic year.

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

In a follow-up clarification, the institution distanced itself from the posts, warning that they wrongly suggested the university’s endorsement.

“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,” it said.

The university did not identify all the posts under review or specify whether the message contained in the circulating screenshot was among them.

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

Uju Anya is an associate professor of second-language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages.

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

Dear Vows