This newspaper’s enquiry into Mr Kila’s academic credentials began five months ago with a probe into his professorship, a rank he publicly claimed for many years.
Beyond faking his professorship, Anthony Kila, the now-suspended Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), also falsified his academic records, PREMIUM TIMES can now report.
Many wondered how he managed to wear the fake academic rank for more than a decade without suspicion. Others wondered why he did not stick to a ‘Dr’ title, given the PhD they believed he had.
However, this second part of our five-month PREMIUM TIMES investigation into Mr Kila’s credentials has now revealed that he also falsified the Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees he claimed to have obtained from multiple universities in the United Kingdom and Italy. This revelation has raised serious questions about whether he attended and completed any post-secondary institution at all.
Mr Kila told our reporter he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Classic Studies from Università per Stranieri, Italy, in 1989, followed by a Master of Arts (MA) in European Studies from the same institution in 1991.
He also claimed a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Media and Communication from the University of Essex in 1992 and a Master of Science (MSc) in International Banking and Finance from City University London (now City St George’s, University of London) in 1994.
In addition, Mr Kila claimed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy from the University of Perugia in 1997, followed by a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Aston University, Birmingham, in 2002.
He also claimed he earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCE) from Cambridge in 2006 and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the same institution in 2009.
But PREMIUM TIMES can now report that Mr Kila’s age-old claims are false. These academic credentials, just like his professorship, were all made up.
While some universities contacted by this newspaper disowned him outright, others said they do not offer the programmes that could have yielded the certificates he claimed to have obtained.
When presented with our findings this week, Mr Kila said he was still gathering his academic records and therefore unable to provide evidence of these degrees.
“I am currently putting together my academic and professional documents, and they will be ready soon,” he told our reporter via email.
This newspaper’s enquiry into Mr Kila’s academic credentials began five months ago with a probe into his professorship, a rank he publicly claimed for many years.
He told our reporter that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS) made him a professor and a Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development in 2016. But this newspaper found that the institution does not exist.
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which administers the Jean Monnet actions, also disowned his claimed Jean Monnet Professorship.
Days after the PREMIUM TIMES exposé, the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU) suspended him as pro-chancellor, a role he has held since August 2025.
In May, after our investigation flagged Mr Kila’s educational and professorial credentials, PREMIUM TIMES reached out to him and requested a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing his institutions and qualifications, as well as the places he has worked over the years.
Mr Kila referred our reporter to his profile on the website of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), an organisation he controls. MCIU also published the profile on its website, then removed it after our investigation exposed Mr Kila’s fake professorship.
The profile did not state which schools he attended or the qualifications he obtained. It listed several qualifications, including an LLM, an MBA, an MSc, a PhD, a PGD, and a PGCE.
“Anthony studied in Cambridge, London, Perugia, and Suffolk. He graduated with a first-class degree in political economy and later specialised in political anthropology. He has taught in various colleges and universities in Cambridge, Ipswich, Lecce, London, Perugia, and Siena,” the profile read.
The reporter then contacted Mr Kila and asked him to share his detailed curriculum vitae so PREMIUM TIMES could produce a detailed profile. He partly obliged, perhaps salivating at the prospect of a promotional article about him in this newspaper.
One Thursday morning in May, Mr Kila sent a list of institutions he claimed to have attended and the qualifications he obtained from each.
In the brief resume he shared, Mr Kila listed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Classic Studies from Università per Stranieri, Italy, in 1989, followed by a Master of Arts (MA) in European Studies from the same institution in 1991.
He claimed a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Media and Communication from the University of Essex in 1992 and a Master of Science (MSc) in International Banking and Finance from City University London (now City St George’s, University of London) in 1994.
According to the list, he also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy from the University of Perugia in 1997, followed by a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Aston University, Birmingham, in 2002.
He also claimed a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCE) from Cambridge in 2006 and a Master of Laws (LLM) from Cambridge in 2009.
This newspaper immediately observed that the resume he shared contradicted his public profile.
For instance, he claimed to have graduated with a first-class degree in political economy and later specialised in political anthropology. But the resume he shared did not mention any first-class degree or any first degree in political economy. Instead, the resume listed his first degree as BA Classic Studies from Università per Stranieri, Perugia, Italy.
So, we set out to verify the degrees from each university, emailing each institution to confirm whether he attended and graduated with the degrees he claimed.
