Ex-senator demands full disclosure, restitution over Kila's fake degrees

Former Senator Babafemi Ojudu has called on Anthony Kila to publicly disclose his true academic history, withdraw any false qualifications and make restitution for benefits obtained through misrepresentation, following a PREMIUM TIMES investigation that questioned all the degrees he claimed to have earned.

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Mr Ojudu, a journalist and politician, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that Mr Kila should provide verifiable evidence to counter the newspaper’s findings or admit the findings if they are true.

He said accountability requires more than an apology, urging Mr Kila to identify the qualifications he cannot substantiate, correct biographies that repeat the claims and cooperate with any legitimate investigation.

“These are grave allegations that deserve a clear, documented answer,” Mr Ojudu wrote.

The former senator also called on Mr Kila’s family and close friends to support him through the controversy, stressing that public scrutiny should not descend into cruelty even as questions about his academic credentials demand answers.

“We can insist on the truth without turning public scrutiny into cruelty,” he said, adding that Mr Kila’s life remained worth protecting despite the allegations.

Mr Ojudu said he knew Mr Kila through their participation in a Yoruba association, where he described the public commentator as articulate, intellectually gifted and dignified.

He said Mr Kila’s apparent intellectual ability made the allegations particularly difficult to understand, questioning why someone with such abilities would need to invent academic qualifications.

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“A person can be widely read, knowledgeable and useful to society without a university degree. There is no shame in that. But claiming qualifications one has not earned is a betrayal of trust,” he wrote.

Previous challenge to Kila

Mr Ojudu’s latest intervention follows his earlier reaction to PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation into Mr Kila’s professorial title.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the former senator called on Mr Kila to provide documentary evidence of his professorship and academic history rather than threaten legal action against the newspaper.

Mr Kila maintained that he was a professor, saying he stood by the title and the academic and professional credentials on which they were based. However, he did not provide evidence identifying a credible institution that awarded him the professorial rank in the response reported by PREMIUM TIMES.

In its first investigation, published on 3 October, PREMIUM TIMES found no evidence that a recognised academic institution had awarded Mr Kila the professorial title he has been using publicly for years.

He attributed the title to the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, an institution the newspaper could not establish existed.

The newspaper’s follow-up investigation, examined the bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and other qualifications Mr Kila claimed to have obtained from universities in Italy and the United Kingdom.

The investigation found discrepancies between his claims and the universities’ records, including institutions that said they had never offered some of the programmes he listed. The University of Essex, for instance, told the newspaper it had never offered the postgraduate diploma in media and communication that Mr Kila claimed to have obtained in 1992.

When PREMIUM TIMES presented its findings to him, Mr Kila said he was gathering his academic and professional documents and had begun contacting the institutions concerned.

“I am currently putting together my academic and professional documents, and they will be ready soon,” he told the newspaper.

University, ICPC responses

The controversy has also prompted institutional action.

The Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Delta State, where Mr Kila served as pro-chancellor from August 2025, suspended him pending an investigation into questions surrounding his professorial status. The university cited its commitment to academic integrity, transparency and sound institutional governance.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has also constituted a team to investigate the allegations and determine whether the university benefited from Mr Kila’s actions.

Mr Ojudu said that if the findings of investigations are proven, Mr Kila should disclose whether the disputed qualifications secured appointments, payments or other benefits and address such matters through the appropriate processes.

He also asked Mr Kila to accept the consequences of any proven wrongdoing, warning that public trust could not be restored through persuasive speeches or an apology that failed to acknowledge the deception.

However, Mr Ojudu appealed for compassion, asking family and friends to remain close to him during the controversy. He said he had no information that Mr Kila intended to harm himself but wanted those around him to check on his welfare and seek professional assistance if necessary.

He said Mr Kila could still rebuild his life by abandoning any false claims, pursuing qualifications legitimately and contributing to society through demonstrable achievements.

“The first step towards that future is an honest account of the past,” Mr Ojudu wrote.

Mr Ojudu served as senator for Ekiti Central from 2011 to 2015 after winning the seat on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, defeating former Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti.