An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES has found that several universities in the United Kingdom and Italy have disputed Anthony Kila’s claims about his academic qualifications, including his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
The investigation, published on October 10, 2026, reported that some institutions denied having records of Kila’s claimed qualifications, while others said they never offered the academic programmes he listed.
Kila, the suspended Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), had claimed to hold several degrees from universities in the UK and Italy.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, Kila claimed he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Classical Studies from Università per Stranieri in Italy in 1989 and a Master of Arts (MA) in European Studies from the same institution in 1991.
He also claimed a Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communication from the University of Essex in 1992 and a Master of Science (MSc) in International Banking and Finance from City University London, now City St George’s, University of London, in 1994.
His other claimed qualifications included a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy from the University of Perugia in 1997, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Aston University in 2002, a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2006 and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Cambridge in 2009.
However, PREMIUM TIMES said its checks found discrepancies between his claims and the information provided by the institutions.
When contacted about the findings, Kila said he was still gathering his academic records.
“I am currently putting together my academic and professional documents, and they will be ready soon,” he told the newspaper via email.
Aston University Disowns Kila’s MBA
Aston University told PREMIUM TIMES that it had no record of Kila studying for the MBA he claimed to have obtained in 2002.
“There is no record in Aston University’s student registry of an Anthony Kila studying for an MBA,” an Aston University spokesperson told the newspaper.
City St George’s University of London also disputed Kila’s claim that he obtained an MSc in International Banking and Finance from the institution in 1994.
The university told PREMIUM TIMES that Kila enrolled in a one-year Banking and International Finance programme in September 2000 but did not complete it.
“They (Mr Kila) began their degree on 18/09/2000, with an expected end date of 31/10/2001,” the university’s press office told PREMIUM TIMES.
‘Their actual end date was 30/06/2001, and were deregistered from their course the same year. So, it appears they were on a one-year course that they did not complete.”
The newspaper reported that it remained unclear which bachelor’s degree Kila used to gain admission to the programme and why the university deregistered him.
University of Essex Denies Offering Claimed Course
Kila also claimed he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communication from the University of Essex in 1992.
However, the university told PREMIUM TIMES that it had never offered the programme.
“We do not offer this course, and we have not offered this course in the past,” the university said in a live chat with the newspaper’s reporter.
University of Perugia Disputes PhD Claim
Kila claimed he obtained a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Perugia in 1997.
However, the university told PREMIUM TIMES that its economics department did not offer a doctoral programme in Political Economy.
“The Department of Economics offers a PhD programme in Economics – Institutions, Business, and Quantitative Methods,” the university said in an email to the newspaper.
The university also directed the reporter to its website, which lists its academic programmes.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, the university’s political science department offers doctoral programmes in four areas: Legality, Political Cultures, Democracy and Politics/Public Policies/Globalisation. Political Economy is not among them.
Italian University Records Contradict Degree Claims
Kila also claimed he obtained his BA in Classical Studies in 1989 and MA in European Studies in 1991 from Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that its review of the university’s historical records showed that the institution did not offer either degree programme during the period Kila claimed to have attended.
According to the newspaper, the university began offering bachelor’s degrees in 1992 and postgraduate degrees after 1999, following changes linked to the European Bologna Process.
Before then, the institution offered non-degree courses in Italian literature, the history of Italian art and the history of Italian music.
The university currently offers undergraduate programmes in areas including international and advertising communication, Italian language and culture, food and hospitality, and social sciences.
PREMIUM TIMES also contacted Università per Stranieri in Siena, another Italian institution with a similar name.
The university said it offers three undergraduate programmes: Italian Language and Culture, Linguistic and Cultural Mediation, and Multilingualism, Translation and Interpreting.
Its postgraduate programmes include Letters, Teaching and Publishing; Linguistic Sciences and Intercultural Communication; Languages, Cooperation and Diversity; and Archaeology and Art Histories.
The newspaper reported that the programmes Kila claimed to have studied were not among those offered by either institution.
Questions Over Cambridge Qualifications
Kila also claimed he obtained an LLM from the University of Cambridge in 2009.
At the time of publication, Cambridge had not responded to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiry.
However, the newspaper examined the university’s admission requirements for the law programme and questioned whether Kila met the academic criteria.
The university generally requires applicants to have a first-class law degree.
“Successful applicants will typically be placed well within the top 10 per cent of law students in their jurisdiction,” the university said.
It added: “In exceptional and rare circumstances, you may be considered without a First Class Bachelor’s degree in Law provided you can demonstrate that academically you are within the top 10 per cent of lawyers in your jurisdiction.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Kila had not provided evidence of holding a law degree in the profile or résumé he shared with the newspaper.
The investigation also examined his claim that he obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from Cambridge in 2006.
The newspaper noted that the qualification Kila listed differed from the university’s Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
Cambridge offers a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, but PREMIUM TIMES reported that this was not the qualification Kila claimed to have obtained.
The university’s closest equivalent to his stated qualification is the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
The programme is open to Cambridge teaching staff with at least three years of higher education teaching experience.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, Cambridge’s website showed that the programme began in 2017, more than a decade after Kila claimed to have obtained his certificate.
Investigation Began With Fake Professorship Claim
PREMIUM TIMES said its investigation into Kila’s academic credentials began about five months ago when it examined his claim to be a professor.
Kila had told the newspaper that the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies (ECAPS) appointed him a professor and Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development in 2016.
However, the newspaper reported that it could not establish the existence of ECAPS.
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which administers the Jean Monnet actions, also said it had no information supporting Kila’s claimed professorship.
Following the initial investigation, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University suspended Kila as its Pro-Chancellor. He had held the position since August 2025.
The newspaper said Kila initially directed its reporter to his profile on the website of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, an organisation he controls.
MCIU had also published the profile on its website but removed it after the investigation into his professorship was published.
The profile listed several qualifications, including an LLM, MBA, MSc, PhD, postgraduate diploma and postgraduate certificate, but did not identify the institutions where he obtained them.
It stated: “Anthony studied in Cambridge, London, Perugia, and Suffolk. He graduated with a first-class degree in political economy and later specialised in political anthropology. He has taught in various colleges and universities in Cambridge, Ipswich, Lecce, London, Perugia, and Siena,”
However, PREMIUM TIMES said the résumé Kila later supplied did not mention a first-class degree in Political Economy. Instead, it listed his first degree as a BA in Classical Studies from Università per Stranieri in Italy.
Kila Responds to Investigation
PREMIUM TIMES said it contacted Kila by email and WhatsApp after completing its latest checks.
In his response, Kila questioned the newspaper’s continued investigation into his qualifications and said he needed more time to obtain the relevant documents.
“You are still on my case. I have been reading everything you have posted, and I still wonder who will benefit from my destruction,” he wrote to the reporter.
He added: “I am currently putting together my academic and professional documents, and they will be ready soon. I started contacting the institutions I am associated with on Monday, and these documents cannot be ready by Thursday, as you are requesting here. As you can imagine, gathering these documents is a top priority for me.”
The investigation raises questions about the academic qualifications Kila has publicly claimed and the institutions he has cited.
PREMIUM TIMES said some universities directly disputed his claims, while others confirmed that they did not offer the programmes he listed.
Kila said he was gathering his academic and professional documents but had not provided the requested evidence at the time of the newspaper’s report.
