INVESTIGATION: ANTHONY KILA ACCUSED OF FALSIFYING MULTIPLE DEGREES FROM UK, ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES

A fresh investigation has raised further questions about the academic credentials of Nigerian public commentator Anthony Kila, with findings indicating that  severals degrees he claimed to have obtained from universities in the United Kingdom and Italy could not be substantiated.

The investigation, conducted by PREMIUM TIMES, found that universities associated with Kila’s academic history either denied having records of his claimed qualifications or confirmed that they did not offer the programmes he said he completed.

The findings represent the second phase of a five-month investigation into Kila’s credentials, following an earlier report that exposed his claim to a professorship as false.

Kila had claimed to hold a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies and a Master of Arts in European Studies from Università per Stranieri in Italy, obtained in 1989 and 1991, respectively.

He also listed a Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communication from the University of Essex in 1992, a Master of Science in International Banking and Finance from City University London in 1994, and a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Perugia in 1997.

Other qualifications he claimed included a Master of Business Administration from Aston University in 2002, a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of Cambridge in 2006, and a Master of Laws from the same institution in 2009.

However, PREMIUM TIMES reported that its checks failed to establish the authenticity of the listed qualifications, with some institutions directly disowning the credentials and others disputing the existence of the academic programmes.

Aston University, for instance, said it had no record of Kila studying for an MBA at the institution.

“There is no record in Aston University’s student registry of an Anthony Kila studying for an MBA,” the university’s spokesperson told the newspaper.

Similarly, City St George’s, University of London, disclosed that Kila enrolled in a one-year Banking and International Finance programme in September 2000 but was deregistered in June 2001 without completing the course.

The institution’s response contradicts Kila’s claim that he obtained an MSc in International Banking and Finance from the university in 1994.

The University of Essex also said it had never offered the Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communication that Kila claimed to have earned in 1992.

Questions were also raised about his claimed doctorate from the University of Perugia. The institution told PREMIUM TIMES that its economics department did not award a PhD in Political Economy, directing the newspaper to its list of recognised doctoral programmes.

Further checks on Università per Stranieri in Perugia showed that the institution did not offer the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes Kila claimed to have completed there in 1989 and 1991.

According to the newspaper, the university’s historical records showed that it began offering undergraduate degrees in 1992, while postgraduate degree programmes were introduced after 1999.

The investigation also examined Kila’s claim to have obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from Cambridge in 2006.

The University of Cambridge reportedly does not offer the exact qualification he listed. Its closest related programme, the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, began in 2017 and is restricted to eligible Cambridge teaching staff with at least three years of higher education teaching experience.

Although Cambridge had yet to respond to the newspaper’s enquiry regarding Kila’s claimed Master of Laws degree, PREMIUM TIMES questioned how he could have qualified for the programme without evidence of an undergraduate law degree.

The investigation further uncovered inconsistencies between Kila’s public profile and the résumé he supplied to the newspaper.

His profile stated that he graduated with a first-class degree in Political Economy and later specialised in Political Anthropology. However, the résumé listed his first degree as a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from an Italian university.

Kila had previously referred the newspaper to his profile on the website of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, an organisation he controls, after being asked to provide a detailed curriculum vitae.

The investigation into his qualifications followed an earlier probe into his professorship. Kila had claimed that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies appointed him a professor and Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development in 2016.

However, PREMIUM TIMES found that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies did not exist. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which administers the Jean Monnet actions, also said it had no information supporting his claimed professorship.

Following the initial exposé, the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University suspended Kila from his position as pro-chancellor, which he had held since August 2025.

Responding to the latest findings, Kila said he was still compiling his academic and professional records and had begun contacting the institutions associated with his claimed qualifications.

In an email to the newspaper, he questioned the motive behind the investigation, asking who would benefit from his destruction.

He added that the documents could not be ready within the deadline given by the reporter, describing the collection of the records as a priority.

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

The latest findings have intensified scrutiny of Kila’s academic background, with questions remaining about the authenticity of the qualifications he has publicly claimed over the years.