The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has screened 931 candidates from Nigeria’s South-West region for its prestigious overseas scholarship scheme, the agency announced on Thursday.
The five-day screening exercise was held at the Faculty of Petroleum Engineering, University of Ibadan, as part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to build indigenous capacity in the oil and gas sector.
According to Masud Mohamed, PTDF’s South-West team lead and Manager at the College of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, the applicants included 749 Master’s degree hopefuls and 182 doctoral candidates. He emphasized that only those applying for oil and gas-related courses were eligible.
“This initiative is central to PTDF’s mission — developing homegrown talent to strengthen Nigeria’s energy industry,” Mohamed said. “Our alumni are making meaningful contributions across the sector.”
The screening sessions were split into morning and afternoon slots to accommodate the high turnout. Mohamed noted that PTDF established six centres across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to decentralize the process and promote access nationwide.
He added that the programme supports President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by focusing on human capital development in critical sectors.
Candidates expressed optimism about the selection process. Funke Olaonipekun described it as “fair and transparent,” while Uchechukwu Ginika, a PhD applicant targeting the University of Strasbourg, France, commended PTDF’s long-term vision.
“This is a remarkable investment in Nigeria’s future,” Ginika said.
Now in its successive years, the PTDF Overseas Scholarship Scheme remains a crucial pipeline for nurturing skilled Nigerian professionals to drive innovation and excellence in the global energy landscape.
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