Anthony A. Kila is a Nigerian political economist, public commentator and MCIU pro-chancellor. MCIU also identifies him as CIAPS Institute Director General. His public use of “professor” and “Jean Monnet professor” is disputed after a Premium Times investigation published on 3 October 2026.
Why Anthony Kila is in the news
Anthony Kila became the focus of renewed public interest on 3 October 2026 after Premium Times published an investigation into the academic titles used in his public profiles. The newspaper reported that its checks found no recognised academic institution that awarded him a professorial rank.
Kila told the newspaper that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, or ECAPS, awarded him a professorship in 2016. Premium Times said its searches in UK Companies House, Nigeria ’s Corporate Affairs Commission and other public records found no trace of the institution beyond references in his profiles.
The article also examined his use of “Jean Monnet professor.” The European Commission’s official description of Jean Monnet Chairs says a higher education institution applies to host the position and the chair holder must be a permanent professor at that institution.
Premium Times reported that the programme’s administering agency found no record of Kila as a Jean Monnet project coordinator in the public directory from 2015 onward. It added that Kila confirmed he was not associated with the Jean Monnet Actions programme.
These findings concern the titles attached to Kila’s name. They do not erase the public-facing work and institutional roles that can be separately documented.
Career and current positions
Kila’s current public profile is built around education administration, policy analysis and commentary. Michael and Cecilia Ibru University lists him as its pro-chancellor and as Institute Director General at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies, usually shortened to CIAPS.
The university announced his appointment in August 2025. The Guardian reported that the appointment letter was signed by the university’s visitor, Cecilia Ibru, and registrar, T. Kolo. As pro-chancellor, Kila chairs the governing council.
BIOGRAPHY
Who Is Anthony Kila? Career and Professor-Title Dispute
Oct 4, 2026
Oct 4, 2026
7 min read
Published
Updated:
Anthony A. Kila is a Nigerian political economist, public commentator and MCIU pro-chancellor. MCIU also identifies him as CIAPS Institute Director General. His public use of “professor” and “Jean Monnet professor” is disputed after a Premium Times investigation published on 3 October 2026.
Why Anthony Kila is in the news
Anthony Kila became the focus of renewed public interest on 3 October 2026 after Premium Times published an investigation into the academic titles used in his public profiles. The newspaper reported that its checks found no recognised academic institution that awarded him a professorial rank.
Kila told the newspaper that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, or ECAPS, awarded him a professorship in 2016. Premium Times said its searches in UK Companies House, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission and other public records found no trace of the institution beyond references in his profiles.
The article also examined his use of “Jean Monnet professor.” The European Commission’s official description of Jean Monnet Chairs says a higher education institution applies to host the position and the chair holder must be a permanent professor at that institution.
Premium Times reported that the programme’s administering agency found no record of Kila as a Jean Monnet project coordinator in the public directory from 2015 onward. It added that Kila confirmed he was not associated with the Jean Monnet Actions programme.
These findings concern the titles attached to Kila’s name. They do not erase the public-facing work and institutional roles that can be separately documented.
ADVERTISEMENT
Career and current positions
Kila’s current public profile is built around education administration, policy analysis and commentary. Michael and Cecilia Ibru University lists him as its pro-chancellor and as Institute Director General at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies, usually shortened to CIAPS.
The university announced his appointment in August 2025. The Guardian reported that the appointment letter was signed by the university’s visitor, Cecilia Ibru, and registrar, T. Kolo. As pro-chancellor, Kila chairs the governing council.
MCIU’s biography describes Kila as a political economist, strategist and public intellectual. It says he has worked in banking, consulting and international projects, and appeared as a BBC commentator and newspaper columnist. The specific institutions behind some academic and teaching claims are not clearly named.
What is verified about his education?
Kila’s education is the least settled part of his public biography. MCIU says he studied in Cambridge, London, Perugia and Suffolk, earned a first-class degree in political economy, and later specialised in political anthropology. It does not identify the awarding institutions for those claims.
Premium Times reported that Kila later supplied a separate qualification list naming institutions and dates. The newspaper said those details differed from the shorter biographies published by MCIU and CIAPS, and that verification of the underlying qualifications was still continuing. For that reason, XTRAfrica is not presenting the degree list as independently confirmed.
Nigeria’s National Universities Commission is the statutory body that sets minimum academic standards and accredits university degrees and other academic awards. Its role helps explain why the source and process behind a professorial title are matters of public interest when the title is used by a university governing-council chair.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kila’s response and MCIU’s position
Kila’s response is part of the record. He told Premium Times that ECAPS awarded the professorship and provided a list of claimed qualifications when asked for a detailed curriculum vitae. The newspaper said it was still seeking confirmation from some of the named institutions.
An MCIU spokesperson told the newspaper that the university had no evidence that Kila was not a professor and said the institution would decide whether to respond after seeing the report.
As of this profile’s publication, MCIU’s official page still displayed “Prof. Anthony A. Kila” and described him as a Jean Monnet professor.
The fairest reading is therefore precise: Kila holds the pro-chancellor position, while his professor and Jean Monnet titles are challenged by a published investigation and remain publicly disputed.
Private-family claims in low-authority listings are omitted because they were not confirmed through reliable first-party or major-news sources.
Anthony Kila career timeline
Year | Event | Significance |
2016 | Kila says ECAPS awarded him a professorship | The awarding body and title are now disputed |
2025 | Appointed MCIU pro-chancellor | Became chair of the university’s governing council |
2026 | Premium Times publishes its investigation | Triggered renewed scrutiny of his academic titles and qualifications |
Why the title dispute matters
A professorial rank normally signals documented teaching, research, publication and institutional promotion. A Jean Monnet Chair is a defined European Union-supported teaching post, not a free-standing personal honorific.
For readers following African higher education, the useful lesson is to separate an office someone currently holds from every credential appearing in an institutional biography. XTRAfrica applies the same source-first approach in its guides to the TETFund ₦10 billion research-grant cycle, WAEC’s denial of a viral cancellation claim and the protection of university records in AFC/M23-held areas.
POPULAR TODAY
ADVERTISEMENT
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anthony Kila?
Anthony A. Kila is a Nigerian political economist, public commentator and education administrator. He is the pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University and is identified by MCIU as the Institute Director General at CIAPS.
What is Anthony Kila’s current job?
His principal verified public role is pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University.
Why is Anthony Kila’s professor title disputed?
Premium Times reported that it found no recognised academic institution that awarded him professorial rank. Kila told the newspaper that ECAPS awarded the title in 2016, but the report said public-record searches found no trace of that institution beyond his profiles.
Is Anthony Kila a Jean Monnet professor?
That title is disputed. Premium Times said the Jean Monnet programme’s administering agency found no record of him as a project coordinator in its publicly available directory from 2015 onward. The newspaper also reported that Kila acknowledged he was not associated with Jean Monnet Actions.
What did Anthony Kila study?
His institutional biographies make broad claims about study in Cambridge, London, Perugia and Suffolk. A separate list supplied to Premium Times named specific degrees and institutions, but the newspaper said verification was still continuing.
Is Anthony Kila married, and does he have children?
Reliable public sources reviewed for this profile do not establish his current marital status, spouse or children. Those private details are not needed to report the public-interest questions about his university role and titles.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED ARTICLE
