Fake Professorship: Anthony Kila speaks but fails to answer key questions

Anthony Kila, the fake professor exposed by a PREMIUM TIMES investigation, has insisted he is a professor, but failed to provide evidence of a credible institution that awarded him the academic title.

In his response, published by Vanguard Newspaper, Mr Kila did not address several key questions raised by the investigation, including the identity and existence of the institution he said awarded him the professorship.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am a professor, and I stand by the title and the professional and academic credentials on which it is based,” he reportedly said.

Mr Kila is a fake professor

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Kila, the pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), had falsely presented himself as a professor and a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development” for years, despite no evidence that a recognised university had awarded him the academic rank.

Mr Kila told this newspaper that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS), which he said was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, awarded him the professorship in 2016.

But PREMIUM TIMES found no evidence that the institution exists.

Searches of the UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and general online sources produced no evidence of the institution, including a website, social media accounts, a physical address, or alumni records.

Mr Kila’s latest response did not identify the legal or academic status of ECAPS, provide an address for the institution or produce a certificate, appointment letter or other document showing that ECAPS awarded him a professorial rank.

He also did not explain why an institution that allegedly conferred such an important academic title could not be independently located.

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which manages the Jean Monnet Actions, also disowned Mr Kila’s affiliation with the Jean Monnet programme or awarding him a Jean Monnet Professorship.

Fake professor sidesteps questions, threatens legal action

In the statement quoted by Vanguard, Mr Kila claimed the PREMIUM TIMES report was based on “an incomplete understanding of the nature, origin and institutional basis” of his professorship.

Mr Kila also said he was prepared to make available relevant facts and documents concerning his professorial status.

However, his response did not provide the documents or answer some of the specific questions raised in the investigation.

Mr Kila said he was “baffled” by the attention generated by the report, noting that he does not hold political office, is not seeking one and is not a government official.

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He also said he had instructed his lawyers to review the publication and subsequent dissemination of the allegations and advise him on appropriate legal steps to protect his reputation and professional standing.

But at the time of his response, Mr Kila had not publicly produced the documentation establishing that ECAPS exists or that it awarded him the professorial rank in 2016.

He also did not explain his use of the “Jean Monnet Professor” designation despite the findings of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, or address the investigation’s findings concerning his academic career and publication record.

MCIU yet to speak

Meanwhile, MCIU, where Mr Kila serves as pro-chancellor, has not publicly clarified the basis on which he is described as a professor on the university’s website.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Ibiyinka Fuwape, a professor, told PREMIUM TIMES that the institution would soon respond to the questions raised by the investigation.