Approximately 931 applicants from the South-West area were vetted for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund overseas scholarship program in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.
Masud Mohammed, the zone’s PTDF team head, made the announcement at the screening facility at the University of Ibadan’s Faculty of Petroleum Engineering in the state capital.
He clarified that 749 applicants were vetted for the Master’s category last week, and that interviews would take place over five days in both morning and afternoon sessions.
According to Mohamed, the PTDF’s Manager of the College of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna, 182 applicants have been vetted for PhD programs in petroleum-related subjects.
“The scholarship scheme is in fulfillment of one of its mandates. It remains a deliberate strategy to boost indigenous expertise and bridge the capacity gap in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
“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.
“The screening is strictly on oil and gas-related courses and the initiative has been running for several years now and produced scholars who are making valuable contributions to the society.”
He stated further that the screening exercise was decentralised, with six centres established nationwide, one per geopolitical zone, to ease participation, maintaining that it aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu in term of human capacity development of Nigerians.
Some of the candidates, Funke Olaonipekun and Uchechukwu Ginika, who spoke with journalists, said they knew about the opportunity from their friends.
Olaonipekun said, “I have no doubt in my mind that I will be one of the successful candidates as the whole process from applying to the screening session has been fair and transparent.”
On his part, Ginika, who applied for a doctoral degree at the University of Strasbourg, France, lauded the PTDF for investing in education of Nigerians and thus contributing to the future of the country.
