The exercise is taking place at the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies Kaduna, one of the fund’s flagship institutions for manpower development in the oil and gas sector.
The scholarship programme is aimed at building local capacity by offering Master’s and PhD opportunities to qualified Nigerians in critical areas of the petroleum industry.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, the North-West Zonal Team Lead, Bashir Ahmed Rufai, said the process had been designed to ensure fairness, transparency and merit.
“I am the team lead for the overseas scholarship scheme interview being held here. It is a PTDF institution that we are very proud of, which will go a long way in checking what we have noticed as capital flight from the country,” he said.
Rufai described the screening as smooth and satisfactory, noting that independent observers were also present to monitor the exercise.
“The process so far is very satisfactory. There are individuals from the Federal Character Commission who have attested to that. We have a very robust selection exercise,” he added.
He disclosed that the fund received 38,398 applications nationwide for both MSc and PhD programmes, out of which 6,193 candidates were shortlisted for the interview stage.
According to him, the ongoing exercise in Kaduna is focused on Master’s degree applicants, with 4,101 candidates being screened across the country.
“For the MSc, all we are doing this week is screening applicants. For the North-West, we have the Kaduna Centre, which is centrally located,” Rufai explained.
He added that 681 candidates would be interviewed in the zone between Tuesday and Friday, while 287 PhD applicants would be screened the following week.
“Between today and Friday, we are screening 681 MSc applicants, while our colleagues will return next week for the PhD candidates. The process is ongoing as planned,” he said.
On eligibility, Rufai stated that applicants must be Nigerians who have completed the National Youth Service Corps and possess strong academic credentials.
“Our portal uses an algorithm that ranks applicants based on set criteria. That is why most candidates here have first-class, second-class upper or strong second-class lower degrees,” he said.
Also speaking, a commissioner with the Federal Character Commission, Muhammad Awwal Naya, commended the conduct of the exercise.
Naya said the commission was on ground to ensure compliance with federal character principles and fairness in the selection process.
“As part of our mandate, we are here to monitor the selection, screening and interview of candidates that will benefit from the PTDF scholarship,” he said.
He expressed satisfaction after inspecting the various stages of the exercise, including the screening and interview panels.
“I have gone round, and honestly speaking, I am fantastically impressed because all the processes are transparent,” he stated.
Some candidates who spoke with journalists expressed optimism about their chances while highlighting how they intend to contribute to the nation’s oil and gas sector.
One of them, Suleiman Musa, a graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, said he would deploy geospatial technologies to improve operations in the industry.
“If given the opportunity, I will use GIS and remote sensing to support oil exploration, optimise production, monitor pipelines and enhance environmental management,” he said.
Another candidate, Omar Husseini, said he hoped to apply his background in Computer Science to address technological challenges in the sector.
“There are challenges in critical systems, including hardware and software. If given the opportunity, I want to help fix some of these lapses,” he said.
The PTDF Overseas Scholarship Scheme is one of the Federal Government’s key initiatives aimed at developing skilled manpower for Nigeria’s petroleum industry through postgraduate training abroad. ENDS
