Anthony Kila, Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Delta State has rejected a Premium Times report describing him as a “fake professor”, saying the characterisation is inaccurate, misleading and damaging to his reputation and professional standing.
Kila, who is also the director of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), made the position known in a statement responding to the publication of October 3, 2026.
“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 argued that the report reflected what he described as an incomplete understanding of the nature, origin and institutional basis of his professorship, insisting that the issue should be assessed against the relevant facts and supporting documentation.
Kila said he would make the facts and documentation concerning his professorial status available, signalling an attempt to address the controversy through documentary evidence.
The dispute centres on the description “fake professor”, which Kila said should not be treated as a casual characterisation but as a factual conclusion requiring evidence.
He said the phrase carries serious implications for his reputation, professional standing and credibility.
While acknowledging the role of journalism in scrutinising the credentials of people holding positions of responsibility, Kila said such scrutiny should be conducted with fairness and a proper understanding of the facts.
He said he was “baffled” by the level of attention directed at him, noting that he does not hold political office, is not seeking political office and is not a government official.
Kila said the scrutiny of his credentials should therefore be grounded in the documentary and institutional basis of his professorship rather than assumptions about how the title was obtained or is used.
He thanked colleagues, friends, students and members of the public who contacted him following the publication to express confidence in his academic and professional credentials.
Kila disclosed that he had instructed his lawyers to review the Premium Times publication and any subsequent dissemination of the allegations.
According to him, the legal review will determine the appropriate steps available to protect his reputation and professional standing.
“The facts and documentation will speak for themselves,” he said.
