Phoney Nigerian professor is ousted from Oxbridge

A NIGERIAN author who claimed to be a professor at Oxford and Cambridge has lost his academic visitor status after students alleged he “fabricated” his role.

Onyeka Nwelue, a writer and filmmaker, was invited to join the African Studies Centre at Oxford as a visiting fellow for the 2021-22 academic year.

But students became concerned when he asked them to pay a £20 admission fee to attend a book launch when events at the centre are usually free. They also complained about his Twitter posts, since deleted, where he stated that “being raised in a poor family chains you mentally to be stupid” and “no poor person has any value”.

The complaints, made in January, were investigated by Cherwell, the Oxford student newspaper. It found neither Oxford or Cambridge had a record of his academic qualifications.

Mr Nwelue said: ”I have always been called a professor from when I was a teenager... I don’t tell people I am a professor. But, never for once did I say I am Oxford professor.”

Cambridge confirmed his visitor status had been “terminated” and Oxford said it had been revoked over “persistent unacceptable breaches”.