Intelligence and Educational Certificates: The Cases of Anthony Kila and ECOWAS-AES Mésentente

Bola A. Akinterinwa

Intelligence is about mental capacity, on the one hand, and about strategic data collection, on the other. Intelligence, in terms of data collection, is technical and refers to the collection of secret or strategic information on rivals, suspects, and adversaries by sovereign states, organisations, or by military forces. In this regard, intelligence can be national or international and military in character. It is an act often carried out by agencies of government to protect state security. Such agencies, in the context of Nigeria, include the Department of State Services (DSS), which has responsibility for internal and domestic security, counter-intelligence, and the protection of high-ranking government officials; Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), which is the primary military intelligence arm charged with the provision of strategic and tactical defence intelligence for the Nigerian Armed Forces; and National Intelligence Agency (NIA), which is charged with the responsibility of foreign intelligence collection. And true, there are also other specialised and supporting sub-intelligence agencies.

In the United States, there are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The U.S. has a coalition of 18 distinct spy agencies that are coordinated under the Director of National Intelligence, each with a different focus. In France, there are the DGSE (Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure) responsible for external intelligence or foreign espionage; HUMINT (Human Intelligence), SIGINT (Intelligence), which is under the Ministry of Armed Forces. At the domestic level, there is the DGSI (Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure) which focuses on domestic counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and cyber security. There are also the DRM (Direction du renseignment militaire (military intelligence directorate), the DRSD (Direction du renseignement et de la Sécurité de la Défense, as well as the TRACFIN (Traitement du renseignement et action contre les circuits financiers clandestins, which is charged with fighting money laundering, tax fraud and terrorism financing. This type of technical intelligence is not our focus here today and should not be confused with intelligence in its ordinary sense.

Intelligence and Educational Certificates

Ordinarily, intelligence is about mental capacity and capability to acquire, understand, and apply knowledge, reason through problems, adapt to new situations, and learn from experience, particularly from others. Intelligence is about intellect, that is, wisdom, insight, brilliancy and acumen and brainpower or brains. In terms of typology, there are four main types in personal and business development models. The first is: intelligence quotient (IQ), which measures cognitive abilities, logical reasoning, mathematical skill, pattern recognition, and factual memory. IQ is about how fast one comprehends and solves analytical problems. The second is Emotional Quotient (EQ), which controls emotional awareness and how well one is able to manage his or her own feelings and respond to other. The third is Social Quotient (SQ), which is about capacity to build social networks, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, as well as navigate group dynamics. The fourth is Adversity Quotient (AQ), which measures one’s resilience, grit, and regulate oneself and persist when facing stress, failure or unexpected setbacks. In essence, intelligence is about being smart, brilliant, being simple, being intelligent and being a genius in terms of having the capacity for transformative creativity.

All the four types of intelligence are quite different from having professional or academic qualifications. Professional qualification is about a work-related credential given by an industrial body, chartered institutes or any regulatory organization that certifies that one has already acquired the required competence to work in a specific job or sector. Put differently, a professional qualification is quite different from an academic qualification. While academic certificates or degrees underscore more of theory and research, professional qualification emphasizes practical training and work ethics.

In France, for example, the educational system differentiates between two pre-doctorate degrees: Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA), Diploma in Advanced Studies, which is a degree higher than an MSc but still inferior to a doctorate degree. It is called an Advanced Degree and generally considered as the equivalent of an M.Phil. It is largely oriented towards scientific research. Its possession is compulsory to qualify to register for doctoral dissertation writing. Every doctoral student in any French university must have his or her doctoral first registered at the University of Nanterre. The purpose is to ensure originality of title and purpose. Where a title had been written on, it can only be accepted again if the title had been, at least, registered not less than fifty years before the time of a fresh registration. A fresh registration of an existing title is therefore meant to provide an update on what has happened in the immediate past fifty years. In fact, the DEA is the first theoretical year of a doctoral programme in France. To ensure that doctorate studies are not taken as a child’s play and that a doctoral dissertation title has the potential to add a fresh scientific value to existing knowledge, the title must not have been written upon in the previous fifty years at the time of the registration of a doctoral dissertation title.

It is important to also note that all degrees in France are called diploma because each degree begins with the prefix of a diploma: diplôme de Licence (BSc), Diplôme de Maitrise (MSc), Diplôme de Doctorat de 3è Cycle (PhD), etc. As noted earlier, the DEA is required to qualify to pursue a doctorate degree. It is meant for people interested in the academia as a profession.

Comparatively, there is also the Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Specialisées (DESS), Diploma in Advanced Specialised Studies, which is meant for people who do not want to go along the academic line, but prefer to go to work in the non-academic settings of the private sector or public service. The DESS underscores skills acquisition. Thus, at the level of graduation and preparation for post-graduate education, academic orientation is given to students on which way to go. This does not exist in Nigeria unlike in France where academic life is made easy. For example, one can obtain a mid-degree qualification after a successful completion of the first two years of university education in France. Such success can lead to the award of Diplôme d’Etudes Universitaires Générales (DEUG), Diploma in General University Studies. One or two years after the DEUG can lead to either a BSc (one year after DEUG) or Master’s degree (two years after DEUG) depending on the course pursued.

In many African countries, and particularly in Nigeria, greater emphasis is often placed on possession of educational certificates rather than on proven ability to deliver. That is why it is not only easy to forge certificates and for the forged certificates to be more original than the original certificate. Nigerians have a name for it ‘Óluwole.’ I do not know why it is so called. What is well known is that Nigerians love high sounding titles and degrees. Imagine an individual answering many titles simultaneously: Chief, Dr., Mrs., or Ambassador, Chief, Dr. or Reverend, Pastor, Dr., etc. Lawyers use ‘barrister’ as a title. One can be a Barrister at Law but there is nothing like Barrister Joseph. Good enough, the legal authorities ought to be specially commended for issuing a warning to all the learned men under them to stop the self-ridicule. Tailoring schools have academic gowns for their trainees after one year of tutelage. Professors are generally not rich or wealthy but the wealthy also want to be academically recognized. When academic titles are earned, it becomes a right and the privileges conferred by it legitimizes the permanent use of the title. When titles are conferred in an honorary context, it essentially remains an honour and should not be taken as a right of title.

In diplomacy, it is only the career ambassadors that have the legitimate right to use the title of an ambassador after retirement from the diplomatic service. Political ambassadors cannot answer or use the title of an ambassador after tenure of service. It is only in Nigeria that traditional international standards are tainted. In fact, mechanics call themselves automobile engineers. Many bricklayers call themselves building engineers. Even students still undergoing their undergraduate professional studies are referred to as doctor this or doctor that. Professorship is an area that people, and particularly politicians, have not succeeded in totally bastardising. It is still a reserved area. There was the time the title of Doctor was only reserved for holders of MBBS and PhD degrees. The title of doctor has been seriously tainted to the extent of the need for national attention. It has become necessary to allow honour to be given to who it is due.

The Achievers University, Owo, for example, will be conferring honorary doctoral degrees on three very distinguished Nigerians at its 16th Convocation Ceremonies, scheduled to take place at the University’s auditorium on Saturday, 31st October, 2026. The distinguished personalities are His Imperial Majesty, Oba Dr. Victor Adesimbo Somefun Kiladejo, CFR (Jilo III, the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom; Captain Edward Boyo, the Founder and Managing Director, Landover Company Limited and Overland Airways; and Engineer Norbert C. Oleah, Founder and Group Chief Executive, Technova Africa International Limited.

Without any whiff of doubt, the three honorees are more than Men of Timber and Caliber. They are truly Men of Iron and Steel. The very case of Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom is quite relevant to our discussion here. He trained as a medical doctor. He first got his B.Sc. degree in Health Sciences and MBBS/MBChB from the University of Ife in 1981. He did his post graduate studies in Reproductive Health at the University of Liverpool. And true enough, he is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ, USA). And perhaps more interestingly, he was a former medical practitioner, hospital director and founder of Kiladejo Royal Hospital. If he is made the Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), the appointment can never be subject of any controversy. Achiever’s honorary doctorate degree legitimises Oba Kiladejo as a ‘Double Doctor’ per excellence, by right of legitimacy and by right of conferment.

Anthony Kila and ECOWAS-AES Mésentente

The Achievers University has lent further credence to the very distinguishing personality of Oba Dr. Kiladejo by underscoring his leadership style, good neighbourliness commitment, contributions to societal development, and unwavering commitment to the promotion of integrity and honesty of purpose in the determination of his eligibility for an Achiever’s Award. It is against this background that the discussion of allegations of non-professorial status against Anthony Kila and the misunderstanding between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance des Etats du Sahel (AES) meaning Alliance of Sahel States (ASS), should be tabled and understood.

As regards Anthony Kila, Premium Times of 10 October, 2026 alleged that he falsified all his academic records. As alleged by Premium Times, ‘beyond faking his professorship, Anthony Kila, the now-suspended Pro-Chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), also falsified his academic records… This second part of a five-month investigation into Mr. Kila’s credentials has now revealed that he also falsified the Bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees he claimed to have obtained from multiple universities in the UK and Italy.’

From the foregoing analysis of intelligence and educational certificates, the case of Anthony Kila falls under educational certificates and far away from that of intelligence. The allegations never talked about him being a Dundee. Even though Dundee is the fourth biggest city in Scotland, a Dundee in Nigeria is a foolish person, an idiot and an under-performer. The Nigerian meaning of Dundee originated in 1972 when the Scottish football club, Dundee United came in May-June 1972 on pre-season tour of Nigeria. Dundee United was defeated by Stationary Stores by 4-1 and defeated by Enugu Rangers, 2-1. Dundee did not play well to the expectation of Nigerian fans, hence the coinage of Dundee to imply an under-performer. No one has seen Anthony Kila as another Dundee. No one has even queried his IQ. The main allegation against him is about his claiming to be what he never is. One, he is not a degree holder. Two, he is not a post-graduate degree holder. Three, he is not a doctorate degree holder. And perhaps more disturbingly, he is not a professor. The dynamic and justification for the allegations is basically non-possession or non-provision of evidence of documentary evidence to back up the claims. Under a normal circumstance, an academic is someone who has a deep-subject-matter expertise, who has made a lot of research contributions, and who has a clear communication style and capacity for student mentorship.

Put differently, having a subject mastery is not simply proven by possession of a PhD, but by particularly being able to maintain an up-to-date knowledge in one’s specialized academic field. A Professor worth his name conducts original research, writes scholarly articles, and never engages in an act of plagiarism. In fact, a good professor contributes to the growth and development of his or her university, by particularly taking much interest in serving in his university and faculty committees, taking active parts in shaping academic policies and helping to manage administrative tasks. At the interpersonal and behavioural levels, a professor must have empathy for students and must be approachable. He must not only display professionalism and patience in imparting knowledge, he must also be an embodiment of ethical standards and respect for all students.

From a close observation when we were together on ThisDay Live programmes anchored by the multitalented Reuben Abati on Sundays, I was more than convinced that Anthony Kila had several attributes of a genuine professor. Even with the allegations, I still find it difficult to believe that he would have consciously decided to falsify or claim what he does not have. His case therefore raises the issue of relevance of educational certificates within the framework of national and regional development strategies: should recruitment into the private and public sectors be by provision of paper qualifications? If yes, let us assume that an Anthony Kila, without any paper qualification, is invited to a recruitment interview, can anyone of us expect him not to perform well in the interview?

Whatever is the case, I believe, and strongly too, that Anthony Kila is intelligent and his IQ is high. While paper qualification attests to the level of knowledge, intelligence enhances knowledge acquisition. The measurement of the knowledge acquired is certified by paper qualification but the issue of paper qualification has become another issue in the ECOWAS and in its relationships with the AES.

It should be recalled that the AES countries, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, were original Member States of the ECOWAS when it was founded in 1975 in Lagos. As a result of the ECOWAS policy of non-tolerance of unconstitutional change of government, the ECOWAS under Nigeria’s leadership in 2023 threatened to use force to compel the three countries, which had come to power by military coups that were considered as unconstitutional means of coming to power, to return power to the ousted civilian governments. The three military leaders took advantage of the ECOWAS threats to come closer together to carve out a sub-region out of the ECOWAS region in accordance with Article 1(e) of the 1991 Abuja Treaty Establishing an African Economic Community.

The matter arising here is that Burkina Faso has spearheaded the need for every Burkinabé seeking to study abroad to seek initial governmental approval before doing so. Any foreign educational qualification without an initial approval of government to pursue it may not be recognized. The Governments say they want align national educational needs with foreign educational syllabi. Besides, the AES presidents believe that people being trained abroad are used to destabilise their countries. Consequently, the type of education and qualification being pursued abroad have to be monitored. The linkage of this development to the ECOWAS is the perception of the entire ECOWAS as a stooge of the West. PBAT has been openly accused of being a stooge of France. Today, however, PBAT is currently leading the quest for peace with the AES which has changed alliance to Russia.

The problematic here is that the AES is strongly opposed to France, their former colonial master. They see France as the originator of their socio-political and security problems with which they are all faced. Terrorism is fueled by France in their eyes. But Nigeria’s PBAT is cultivating a very warm understanding with France. While the AES wants to monitor the type of education to be given to their citizens in France, Nigeria is opening widely her doors to the French. Can Nigeria afford the luxury of hobnobbing with France to the detriment of the AES? To what extent can Nigeria and France come closer to the detriment of Nigeria-Niger relations? Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye led the Nigerian delegation on October 16, 2026 to the Dakar peace talks with the AES. In the words of Ambassador Enikanolaiye, ‘it is expected that at the end of this round of engagement, there would be concurrence on the draft General Framework Agreement between ECOWAS and AES Msember States.’