The Petroleum Technology Development Fund has commenced the process for the selection of beneficiaries for the PTDF overseas scholarship scheme.
No fewer than 560 candidates from the North-West zone have been shortlisted and screened at the Kaduna Centre.
The initiative aimed at building human capacity for the country’s oil and gas industry.
The ongoing exercise, which commenced on Monday at the ICT Centre of Kaduna State University, targets prospective candidates for Master’s and doctoral degrees in fields relevant to the petroleum sector.
PTDF Manager of Training, Attahiru Ahmed, said the scholarship scheme remained a deliberate strategy to boost indigenous expertise and bridge the capacity gap in the nation’s oil and gas sector through world-class education.
According to him, 350 candidates were expected to be screened this week for the Master’s category, with the interviews scheduled in both morning and afternoon sessions over five days.
“You know PTDF is tasked with the responsibility of developing capacity for the oil and gas industry, and that’s precisely why we are doing this.
“We focus strictly on oil and gas-related courses. This initiative has been running for several years now and has produced scholars who are making valuable contributions in the sector,” he added.
He further explained that the screening was decentralised, with six centres established nationwide, one per geopolitical zone, to ease participation.
Candidates, he said, were allowed to select centres nearest to them during the application process.
Highlighting the criteria for selection, Ahmed said, “Applicants must present their O’Level results, university degree certificates, and proof of the relevance of their chosen fields to the oil and gas sector.”
The Director of the Katsina State Office of the Federal Character Commission, Dalhatu Ibrahim, commended the PTDF for its transparency, noting that the commission was on the ground to ensure fairness throughout the process.
“This is not the first time PTDF has conducted this exercise, and we have always observed that it is transparent.
“They have clear-cut criteria for shortlisting candidates. After the shortlisting, they invite candidates and we come to monitor the exercise to ensure the process is equitable. That’s why we are here today,” Ibrahim stated.
