Just days after being bashed by British TV personality Piers Morgan for attacking Queen Elizabeth on Twitter, the Nigerian-born American academic Uju Anya has returned the favour.
In the heat of the moment on September 8, Morgan used three words to describe Anya who was also receiving criticism from different quarters over her comments about the late monarch.
Anya had called the queen the head of a “thieving, raping, genocidal empire” and wished her “excruciating pain” in her hour of death.
Morgan reacted: “You vile disgusting moron.”
Founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos, who is also the world’s third-richest man, also reacted: “This is someone supposedly working to make the world better?”
“I don’t think so,” Bezos added. “Wow.”
On Wednesday, Anya claimed on Twitter that Morgan’s producer called her for an interview. She hinted she would not grant the interview with the Igbo word “Tufiakwa” which means “God forbid”.
“Piers Morgan calling me ‘vile, disgusting moron’ while his producer calling me for interview. Tufiakwa,” the associate professor said.
Asked in Pidgin English by a fan if she would grant the broadcaster an interview, Anya replied, “I no dey put food for my enemy mouth.”
Anya has already said that her job at Carnegie Mellon University in the US is not in jeopardy because of her views about the late monarch.
“From what I’ve been told, there is no plan to sanction or fire me, and my job is not in jeopardy. My university leadership showed very clearly they did not approve of my speech; however, they stand in firm support of my freedom of expression on my own personal social media,” she tweeed on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth’s body left Buckingham Palace for the last time on Wednesday and was escorted by a grand royal procession.
Her coffin was carried past London’s landmarks to the historic Westminster Hall where she will lie in state until her funeral next week.
