Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Delta State, Anthony Kila, has disputed a report questioning his professorial status, insisting that he is a professor and that his academic credentials can be verified through relevant documentation.
Kila, who is also Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, made his position known in a statement issued in response to a publication dated October 3, 2026.
He described the “fake professor” label attributed to him as inaccurate and damaging to his professional reputation, saying the report did not fully consider the origin and institutional basis of his professorial title.
“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.
He maintained that the issue should be examined using the relevant facts and supporting documents, adding that he was prepared to make records relating to his professorial status available.
Kila also questioned the level of attention given to the matter, noting that he was neither a political office holder nor a government official and was not seeking political office.
While acknowledging the media’s responsibility to scrutinise the credentials of individuals holding positions of responsibility, he urged journalists to approach such investigations fairly and with a proper understanding of the facts.
He also expressed appreciation to colleagues, students, friends and members of the public who contacted him after the report was published to express support for his academic and professional credentials.
Kila’s response followed a report by PREMIUM TIMES which questioned his claim to the title of professor and his description as a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development.”
The publication alleged that it found no evidence that a recognised university had awarded Kila the academic rank of professor.
Kila, however, reportedly told PREMIUM TIMES that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, which he said was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, awarded him the professorship in 2016.
The controversy has now shifted attention to the institutional basis of Kila’s professorial title, with the academic insisting that relevant documentation exists to support his claim.
