Anthony Kila, pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University in Delta State, has rejected a report describing him as a “fake professor”, insisting that he is a professor and saying his lawyers are reviewing the allegations against him.
Mr Kila responded on Sunday to a report published by Premium Times on Saturday which questioned his professorial title and aspects of his academic profile.
“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,” Kila said in a statement reported by Vanguard on Sunday.
Premium Times had reported that it found no evidence that a recognised academic institution awarded Kila the rank of professor.
The report said Kila told the newspaper that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, which he said was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, awarded him the professorship in 2016.
Premium Times said searches of the UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission and other sources did not establish the existence of the institution.Foreign reserves analysis
The report also questioned Kila’s description as a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development”. According to Premium Times, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency said Kila did not appear in its available records as a Jean Monnet project coordinator.
The report further raised questions about some of the academic qualifications and publications listed in Kila’s public profiles.
The Michael and Cecilia Ibru University has not publicly addressed the substance of the allegations.
Vice Chancellor Ibiyinka Fuwape told Premium Times on October 4 that the university would respond after internal consultations.
“We will reply you very soon. The PRO will get in touch with you. The council is yet to meet. I can’t give you any information other than that,” Fuwape said.
Before the investigation was published, a person identified as a university spokesperson had told Premium Times that the institution had no evidence suggesting that Kila was not a professor.
Kila said he considered the description “fake professor” particularly serious because it presented an allegation as an established fact.
He said he was prepared to make documents concerning his professorial status available and argued that the matter should be assessed on the basis of the relevant facts and documentation.
“I am baffled by the level of attention directed at me,” he said, noting that he neither holds political office nor is seeking one and is not a government official.
Kila also disclosed that he had instructed his lawyers to review the publication and subsequent dissemination of the allegations and advise him on legal steps to protect his reputation and professional standing.
“The facts and documentation will speak for themselves,” he said.
