The PREMIUM TIMES investigation exposing Anthony Kila, the pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), as a fake professor has triggered a barrage of reactions from Nigerians on social media.
For years, Mr Kila was presented as a professor and “Jean Monnet professor” in television and newspaper interviews.
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His profiles on the websites of MCIU and the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) also identified him as a professor.
But a PREMIUM TIMES investigation published on Saturday found that no recognised academic institution had awarded Mr Kila a professorial title.
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The Investigation
Mr Kila claimed 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. However, the newspaper found no evidence that the institution exists.
The newspaper also reported that the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which administers the European Union’s Jean Monnet programme, said Mr Kila did not appear as a Jean Monnet project coordinator in its directory.
The investigation also found that Mr Kila’s Google Scholar profile contained 22 works, nine of which PREMIUM TIMES found were not authored by him. Of the works attributed to him, the newspaper said it could not independently establish any as peer-reviewed articles in reputable academic journals.
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Reactions
The investigation has garnered thousands of likes, comments and reshares on the newspaper’s social media pages, including Facebook, Instagram and X.
Nigerians who read the story expressed shock that media organisations could have repeatedly presented Mr Kila as a professor for years without anyone scrutinising his profile.
Some comments commended the newspaper and called for an investigation into more individuals parading fake certificates.
“Wow! The famous Professor Kila on Arise TV. This is someone who talks down on our university system on the Morning Show. He should be prosecuted for false identity and academic fraud,” Yusuf Ali, @EduBeyondHL, wrote on X.
“Nice work, Premium Times,” @IKENNA_911 wrote. “I had to check his Google Scholar profile. All of the work attached to his name, aside from 2 books in Italian, is as recent as 2019-2022. His major work attributed to him is believed to be this other kila (Kikelomo Kila).”
“The craze for titles everywhere,” Joshua Egbodo, another social media user, commented.
Another commenter praised PREMIUM TIMES for investigating Mr Kila and suggested that other people who present themselves as professors should also have their credentials scrutinised.
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Other reactions focused on the wider issue of people presenting questionable academic credentials in Nigeria.
“Even though he speaks beautifully, he scarcely connects the dots in his analysis. If you listened intelligently, you would understand what I mean. The phonetics covers a lot of holes…,” wrote @Bodexus1
“I am shocked. Such an intelligent man could be mixed up with embellishments like this. Very articulate person. Kudos @PremiumTimesng,” @oluseyelawrence, posted.
“Interestingly, he may not be the only one caught in this web of deceit. My sense, and very certainly, too, there are many more who attained professorship in the country through one opaque means or another. NUC needs to wake up from its snoring slumber and do due diligence in cleaning this disgusting, messy, and unfortunate uprising in the academic environment,” another person, @drbak_, posted.
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