Investigation into Anthony Kila’s professorial title prompts calls for wider scrutiny
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation into Anthony Kila, pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, has prompted strong reactions online. The report said no recognised academic institution had awarded him a professorial title, questioned his claimed Jean Monnet status and examined works listed under his Google Scholar profile.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation into Anthony Kila, the pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, has triggered widespread reaction on Nigerian social media after questioning his use of the title “professor”. The newspaper reported that Mr Kila had been presented as a professor and “Jean Monnet professor” in television and newspaper interviews. Profiles on the websites of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University and the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies also used the title.
According to the investigation, however, no recognised academic institution had awarded Mr Kila a professorial title. Mr Kila said the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, which he described as being based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, had awarded him the professorship in 2016. PREMIUM TIMES said it found no evidence that the institution exists.
The report also said the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which administers the European Union’s Jean Monnet programme, confirmed that Mr Kila did not appear as a project coordinator in its directory. PREMIUM TIMES further examined Mr Kila’s Google Scholar profile, which listed 22 works. The newspaper said nine were not authored by him and that it could not independently establish any of the remaining works as peer-reviewed articles in reputable academic journals.
The report generated thousands of likes, comments and reshares on the newspaper’s Facebook, Instagram and X accounts. Some users praised the investigation and called for the credentials of other people presenting themselves as professors to be examined. Yusuf Ali, writing on X, called for Mr Kila to be prosecuted for alleged false identity and academic fraud.
Other commenters focused on the broader issue of questionable academic credentials in Nigeria and urged the National Universities Commission to conduct greater scrutiny. The supplied material does not indicate that any prosecution or official inquiry has been announced.
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