Former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has reacted to the Premium Times investigative report which exposed Prof. Anthony Kila, the Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, MCIU, as a “fake professor.”
In a statement personally signed by him on Sunday, Ojudu said he was still trying to compose himself after reading the story, describing the allegations as difficult to believe given his regard for Kila and his respect for Premium Times.
The Ekiti-born journalist and politician disclosed that he and Kila belong to the same Yoruba association, where Kila’s contributions at meetings were insightful and his conduct dignified.
“To read these allegations about him is, to say the least, shocking,” Ojudu said.
Premium Times, in its investigation published on October 3, 2026, had reported that it found no evidence that any recognised university awarded Kila the rank of professor. Kila had claimed his professorship was awarded in 2016 by the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS), Cambridge, UK – an institution the newspaper said does not exist in UK Companies House and CAC records. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency also said Kila does not appear as a Jean Monnet project coordinator.
Reacting further, Ojudu said Kila needs to provide a clear, substantive response beyond threats of legal action.
“If the allegations are untrue, verifiable evidence should provide a compelling rebuttal,” he stated.
He then challenged Kila directly: “Anthony, please set out your academic and professional history: where you studied and when; the qualifications you earned; who supervised your master’s dissertation and doctoral thesis; where you taught; and where, when and through what process you became a professor. Relevant records, publications and confirmation from the institutions concerned would help settle the matter. Former teachers, classmates, colleagues and students could also corroborate your account.”
Ojudu noted that while Kila is entitled to seek legal redress, a clear, documented response would go a long way towards answering the allegations and reassuring those who hold him in high regard.
“Give us the facts and the evidence. Those of us who respect you will then have a firm basis on which to speak in your defence,” he concluded.