Nigerian Author Loses Academic Guest Status At Oxford University

Onyeka Nwelue, a Nigerian author, had his academic visitor status at Oxford University terminated as a result of utilising university properties and logos for personal and commercial gain, according to a Cherwell investigation.
Weekly student newspaper Cherwell is produced exclusively by Oxford University students.

According to Cherwell’s further study, Nwelue is also the target of complaints of misogyny directed at students and the internet dissemination of racist, sexist, and classist material.

Author and director Nwelue, who self-published his works, was an Academic Visiting at the African Studies Centre at Oxford from Michaelmas 2021 until his dismissal in early February of this year. He claimed to be a professor at both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge at this time, but he was unable to show Cherwell documentation of an academic PhD.

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He was not credited as a professor by either institution in the course of his associations with them, and Oxford confirmed to Cherwell that he has never been a professor at the university. This week, the University of Cambridge also told Cherwell that Nwelue’s connections with Cambridge have been terminated following investigations into his conduct.

On 31st January 2023, Nwelue’s Instagram bio described him as “Prof of African Studies & Academic Visitor at University of Oxford & University of Cambridge” and on 1st February 2023, his Twitter bio said “Professor + Academic Visitor”, tagging the accounts of both universities. He also tweeted, “I am a university professor, attached to two of the top best universities in the world”, along with many other tweets where he referred to himself as a professor.
However, when asked to clarify his academic affiliations in light of this, Nwelue told Cherwell, “I have never ever posed as a professor at Oxford and Cambridge. My card says I am an Academic Visitor and that is exactly what I tell people. The accusation that I say I am a professor at Oxford is baseless.”
At Oxford, Academic Visitorship is set up on terms agreed between an individual and the university. The university confirmed that it does not employ Academic Visitors – they do not get paid, and are not expected to undertake duties for the university.

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In his social media bios, Nwelue has also described himself as a Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, but SOAS confirmed to Cherwell that he is not listed as one of its Research Associates.
When asked by Cherwell to provide further details of his academic certifications, Nwelue said, “I have the equivalent of Master’s as a filmmaker. I also have an Honorary Doctorate. I have been Visiting / Research Fellow in other universities. Prior to Oxford, I made award-winning films and published a lot of books. [sic]”

At least twenty-two books have been published in Onyeka Nwelue’s name. Twenty of his books were either self-published or published by companies owned by Nwelue. Nine of these have been published since 2021.

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