An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES has raised serious questions over the professorial title used by Anthony Kila, the Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU).
Kila, who was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the university in August 2025, has for years been publicly described as a professor and as a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development.” However, the investigation reported that no recognised academic institution has been found to have awarded him a professorial rank.
According to the report, Kila has been addressed as a professor in several newspaper and television interviews. His profiles on the websites of MCIU and the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) also identify him as “Prof. Anthony Kila.”
The investigation, however, found no evidence that Kila had taught at a university in Nigeria or abroad or had been formally promoted to the rank of professor through a recognised university system.
Kila reportedly told PREMIUM TIMES that he received his professorship in 2016 from the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS), which he said was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
But the newspaper said searches of the UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission and other online sources produced no evidence of the existence of the institution. The investigation also reported that no official website, social media presence, address or alumni records could be found for ECAPS.
The report also examined Kila’s claim of being a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development.” The Jean Monnet title is linked to the European Union’s Jean Monnet Actions, a programme designed to promote teaching, research and debate on European integration.
PREMIUM TIMES said it contacted the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which administers the programme. The agency reportedly said Kila did not appear in its available records as a Jean Monnet project coordinator.
The newspaper also quoted Jean-Marc Trouille, a professor and co-chair of the AfriquEurope Jean Monnet Network, as saying it was “highly unlikely” that Kila held a Jean Monnet Chair award. Kila subsequently confirmed to the newspaper that he was not associated with the Jean Monnet actions but did not explain how he came to use the title.
The investigation further examined the academic requirements for becoming a professor in Nigeria. The National Universities Commission (NUC) requires candidates to have appropriate academic qualifications, teaching and research experience, publications, postgraduate supervision and contributions to knowledge. A doctorate is also required, while the progression through various academic ranks generally involves several years of teaching and research.
However, PREMIUM TIMES reported that it found no evidence that Kila had taught at a university or published peer-reviewed academic papers in reputable journals.
His Google Scholar profile reportedly contained 22 works, but nine were found by the newspaper not to have been authored by him. The investigation also said that the works attributed to him could not be independently established as peer-reviewed articles in reputable academic journals.
On ResearchGate, Kila reportedly described himself as a “full professor,” although the profile contained no publications.
The investigation also raised questions about Kila’s references to the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies. The newspaper found that a similarly named institution, the European Centre for Advanced Studies, was established by the University of Glasgow and Leuphana University, but its Academic Director, James Conroy, reportedly said the institution had no connection with Kila.
Questions were also raised about some of Kila’s stated educational qualifications. His public profiles list qualifications including an LLM, MBA, MSc, PhD and PGCE and state that he studied in Cambridge, London, Perugia and Suffolk.
In information supplied to PREMIUM TIMES, however, Kila gave a different account of his academic background. He said he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies from Università per Stranieri in Italy in 1989, followed by a Master’s degree in European Studies in 1991.
He also listed a postgraduate diploma from the University of Essex, an MSc from City University London, a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Perugia, an MBA from Aston University and other qualifications from institutions in the UK.
The newspaper noted that some of these claims differed from descriptions on the CIAPS and MCIU websites, particularly regarding his first degree and area of specialisation.
PREMIUM TIMES said the CIAPS website was repeatedly edited after the newspaper presented its findings to Kila, with his profile initially removed before the website eventually became inaccessible.
The investigation stressed that verification of Kila’s other educational qualifications was still ongoing because responses from some of the institutions he claimed to have attended had not yet been received.
However, the newspaper said it had established what it described as evidence that his professorial title was not awarded by a recognised academic institution, while investigations into his other claimed qualifications continue.
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