Professor's tweets about Queen Elizabeth draw mixed reactions
Please share this story:
Nigerian donor Professor Uju Anya has been slammed on Twitter for her comments following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Hours before the news of the queen's death was announced, Professor Anya wrote on her Twitter page: "I heard that the chief monarch of a genocidal thieving empire and rapist is finally dying. May his pain be excruciating."
The tweet has since been removed for violating the "Twitter Rules".
In another tweet, she referenced the supposed role of the British Empire in supplying arms and ammunition to the Nigerian government during the civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
"If anyone expects me to express anything other than disdain for the monarch who oversaw a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and whose victims are trying still overcome the consequences, you can continue to wish for a star," she wrote after news of the queen's death was announced.
The tweets caught the attention of many, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who quoted the post and wrote, "Is this someone supposed to be working to make the world a better place? I don't think no. Wow."
President Buhari's aide, Bashir Ahmed, also tweeted: "I didn't know that Uju Anya until I saw some of her tweets for the first time on my timeline tonight, her tweets about the late Queen Elizabeth II were so sadly unnecessary.."
Another tweep, @novieverest wrote, "You can condemn slavery and colonization without being an Uju Anya. His statement was terrible and you can't defend it. It's as simple as that."< /p>
However, many others have defended the professor for speaking out against the colonial legacy of the British Empire under the late Queen.
Stating that Anya's tweets reflect the unspoken feelings of many, @vickkingsley wrote: "The problem with Uju Anya's tweet is that a lot of people feel exactly how she feels, but she was bold enough to declare even those who feel the same as she drags her all in. Uju Anya is the bad guy now, but you had massive contempt for the British government, colonialism."
"I'm with Uju Anya. The level of sympathy for Queen Elizabeth who died peacefully is gone, leveling the sympathy given to Africans who died due to colonialism because there was no social media," tweeted @Philosophiero1.
Carnegie Mellon University, the US institution at which Anya teaches, also released a statement distancing herself from the professor's comments.
"We do not tolerate the offensive and objectionable message posted today by Uju Anya on his personal social media account.
"Freedom of expression is at the heart of higher education's mission, however, the views shared in no way represent the values of the institution, nor the standard of discourse we seek to foster" , says the press release.
Please share this story:
Nigerian donor Professor Uju Anya has been slammed on Twitter for her comments following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Hours before the news of the queen's death was announced, Professor Anya wrote on her Twitter page: "I heard that the chief monarch of a genocidal thieving empire and rapist is finally dying. May his pain be excruciating."
The tweet has since been removed for violating the "Twitter Rules".
In another tweet, she referenced the supposed role of the British Empire in supplying arms and ammunition to the Nigerian government during the civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
"If anyone expects me to express anything other than disdain for the monarch who oversaw a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and whose victims are trying still overcome the consequences, you can continue to wish for a star," she wrote after news of the queen's death was announced.
The tweets caught the attention of many, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who quoted the post and wrote, "Is this someone supposed to be working to make the world a better place? I don't think no. Wow."
President Buhari's aide, Bashir Ahmed, also tweeted: "I didn't know that Uju Anya until I saw some of her tweets for the first time on my timeline tonight, her tweets about the late Queen Elizabeth II were so sadly unnecessary.."
Another tweep, @novieverest wrote, "You can condemn slavery and colonization without being an Uju Anya. His statement was terrible and you can't defend it. It's as simple as that."< /p>
However, many others have defended the professor for speaking out against the colonial legacy of the British Empire under the late Queen.
Stating that Anya's tweets reflect the unspoken feelings of many, @vickkingsley wrote: "The problem with Uju Anya's tweet is that a lot of people feel exactly how she feels, but she was bold enough to declare even those who feel the same as she drags her all in. Uju Anya is the bad guy now, but you had massive contempt for the British government, colonialism."
"I'm with Uju Anya. The level of sympathy for Queen Elizabeth who died peacefully is gone, leveling the sympathy given to Africans who died due to colonialism because there was no social media," tweeted @Philosophiero1.
Carnegie Mellon University, the US institution at which Anya teaches, also released a statement distancing herself from the professor's comments.
"We do not tolerate the offensive and objectionable message posted today by Uju Anya on his personal social media account.
"Freedom of expression is at the heart of higher education's mission, however, the views shared in no way represent the values of the institution, nor the standard of discourse we seek to foster" , says the press release.
What's Your Reaction?
