Professor Anthony Kila has replied to a piece published last weekend by a big online daily (name hidden by us) portraying him as a “fake professor”, saying the portrayal is wrong, misleading and detrimental to his reputation and professional standing.
“For the avoidance of doubt I am a professor and I stand by the title and the professional and academic credentials on which it is based,” a statement provided to The Frontier yesterday nite read.
The report represented, he said, what he regarded as an insufficient knowledge of the nature, origin and institutional foundation of his professorship. He urged that the subject should be evaluated on the basis of the relevant facts and data.
Kila who is also Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University in Delta State and Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) said he will make accessible the essential information and documents on his professorial status.
He objected strongly to the term “fake professor” as it was a “factual conclusion” that could only be reached with evidence and major reputational consequences.
Kila said there was a “legitimate role for journalism to play” in scrutinising the credentials of those in positions of responsibility, but that examination should be based on “fairness and a proper understanding of the facts”.
“I don’t know what’s going on with this attention I’m getting,” he said. “I don’t have any political office, I’m not running for office and I’m not a government official.
Kila praised colleagues, friends, students and members of the public who had contacted him after the publication to express trust in his educational and professional credentials.
He said he had told his attorneys to examine the publishing and subsequent circulation of the claims and advise on the required legal steps to safeguard his image and status in the profession.
“The facts and documents will speak for themselves,” Kila remarked.
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