Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU) has removed the name, profile and photographs of its Pro-Chancellor, Anthony Kila, from its official website following a Premium Times investigation questioning his use of the title “Professor.”
According to the newspaper, a review of the university’s website around 7 p.m. on Monday showed that Kila’s details, previously displayed among the institution’s principal officials, were no longer available.
The university has not publicly explained the removal or confirmed whether it was connected to the investigation. It has also not announced any change to Kila’s position as Pro-Chancellor.
Kila, who has held the position since August 2025, disputes the investigation’s findings and maintains that he is legitimately entitled to the professorial title.
Premium Times reported that its investigation found no evidence that a recognised university or academic institution had awarded him the rank of professor, despite his longstanding public use of the title.
Before the removal, his profile reportedly appeared alongside those of the university’s proprietress, Cecilia Ibru, and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape.
Responding to the newspaper’s enquiries, Fuwape said the university would address the matter after its governing council had considered it.
“We will reply to you very soon. The PRO will get in touch with you. The council is yet to meet. I can’t give you any information other than that,” she was quoted as saying.
The investigation examined Kila’s description of himself as a “Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development” and the institutional basis for that claim.
According to Premium Times, Kila said the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS), which he described as being based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, awarded him the professorship in 2016.
The newspaper, however, reported that it could not establish the institution’s existence through searches of the UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission and other online sources.
It said the searches did not identify a website, physical address, social media presence or alumni records for the institution.
The newspaper also reported that the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which manages the European Union’s Jean Monnet Actions, denied awarding Kila a Jean Monnet Professorship or recognising his claimed affiliation with the programme.
Kila rejected the suggestion that he had falsely presented himself as a professor, arguing that the report reflected “an incomplete understanding of the nature, origin and institutional basis” of his professorship.
According to the newspaper, he did not provide evidence establishing the institution he identified as having awarded the title.
He also said he had instructed his lawyers to review the publication and its circulation and advise on possible legal steps to protect his reputation and professional standing.
The university’s substantive response remains awaited. While Kila’s details have been removed from its website, that development alone does not establish that he has been removed from office.
