A total of 931 candidates from the South-West region have been screened for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) overseas scholarship scheme in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The screening exercise, which took place at the Faculty of Petroleum Engineering, University of Ibadan, was announced by the PTDF Zonal Team Leader, Masud Mohamed.
Mohamed, who is Manager at the College of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, said 749 candidates were screened last week for the Master’s category, with interviews held in morning and afternoon sessions over five days. He added that 182 candidates are currently being screened for PhD programmes in oil and gas-related disciplines.
He explained that the scholarship scheme is a deliberate strategy to boost indigenous expertise and bridge the capacity gap in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
“One of the mandates of the PTDF is the responsibility of developing capacity for the oil and gas industry, and that’s precisely why we are doing this,” Mohamed said. “The screening is strictly for oil and gas-related courses and has produced scholars who are making valuable contributions to society.”
The exercise is part of a nationwide decentralised screening effort, with six centres established across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. Mohamed said the approach aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on human capacity development.
Some of the candidates, Funke Olaonipekun and Uchechukwu Ginika, expressed satisfaction with the process.
Olaonipekun described the exercise as fair and transparent, while Ginika, a PhD applicant to the University of Strasbourg, France, commended the PTDF for its commitment to advancing education in Nigeria.
The PTDF overseas scholarship scheme has been running for several years, funding postgraduate studies abroad in fields critical to the development of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
