By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Senator Babafemi Ojudu has appealed for compassion toward Anthony Kila amid allegations that the public commentator fabricated his academic credentials, warning that no one should be pushed to the point of death by public disgrace.
In an opinion piece titled “Anthony Kila: The Truth, Accountability and a Way Back,” Ojudu said he was “deeply troubled” by the Premium Times investigation, which reported that the degrees Kila claimed—from bachelor’s to doctorate, alongside other qualification, were fabricated, citing responses from universities and discrepancies in the programmes and dates he supplied.
The Premium Times investigation, published on 3 October 2026, began by questioning Kila’s professorial title before expanding to scrutinise his entire academic record.
Kila had claimed to be a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development,” a title he said was awarded by the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS) in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in 2016.
However, the newspaper found no evidence that ECAPS exists. Searches of the UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission, and general online sources produced no trace of the institution—no website, social media accounts, physical address, or alumni records.
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which administers the Jean Monnet Actions, also disowned Kila, saying it knew nothing about him.
When the investigation turned to his degrees, Premium Times contacted the universities he claimed to have attended. The process faced initial roadblocks, as UK and European data protection laws prevented institutions from responding to third-party requests without the subject’s consent. After the newspaper renewed its requests, citing public interest, most universities responded.
Aston University disclaimed Kila’s claimed 2002 Master of Business Administration (MBA), stating there was “no record in Aston University’s student registry of an Anthony Kila studying for an MBA”. City St George’s University of London said Kila enrolled in a one-year Banking and International Finance programme in 2000 but was deregistered and did not complete it.
The University of Essex said it does not offer, and has never offered, the Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communication that Kila claimed to have obtained in 1992. The University of Perugia, where Kila claimed to have earned a PhD in Political Economy in 1997, said its economics department does not award doctoral degrees in political economy.
Following the investigation, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), where Kila served as Pro-Chancellor, suspended him pending an investigation and removed his profile from its website. Kila has rejected the findings, insisting he is a professor and threatening legal action.
Ojudu’s Appeal
Ojudu, who said he knows Kila well through a shared Yoruba association, described him as articulate and intellectually gifted, adding that he had often found his analyses of public issues compelling.
“That is precisely why these revelations are so confounding. With such ability, why would anyone need to invent academic credentials?” he wrote.
While insisting on accountability, Ojudu made a heartfelt appeal to Kila’s family and close friends to stay close to him through the crisis.
“I have no information that he intends to harm himself, but I am concerned about his welfare. Check on him, listen to him and ensure that he knows he has people he can turn to,” he wrote.
He urged them to take any expression of suicidal thoughts or signs of immediate danger seriously, to stay with him and to seek urgent professional help.
“Nobody should be driven to believe that death is the only escape from disgrace. His life remains worth protecting, even while serious questions demand answers,” Ojudu said, adding that public scrutiny should not be turned into cruelty.
He also addressed Kila directly, urging him to provide verifiable evidence if the newspaper’s findings are wrong, or to “come clean, fully and without further evasion” if they are true.
Ojudu outlined what genuine accountability would require: stating plainly which claims were false, withdrawing them publicly, giving an accurate account of his education and professional history, asking institutions to correct biographies that repeat the claims, and ceasing to use any title he cannot substantiate.
He added that restitution must follow, including disclosing and addressing any benefits secured through false credentials, cooperating with legitimate investigations and accepting the consequences.
Yet he held out hope of redemption. “You can study, earn qualifications properly and contribute under your own name, supported by achievements that can withstand scrutiny. You cannot undo the past, but you can stop perpetuating any falsehood and begin to repair the harm it has caused,” Ojudu wrote.
He concluded: “Tell the truth. Make amends. Accept accountability. Give yourself the chance to begin again. The first step towards that future is an honest account of the past.”
Kila, in his response to Premium Times, said he was gathering his academic and professional documents.
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