In furtherance of its statutory mandate of developing local expertise for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry through award of scholarship for qualified candidates, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has shortlisted 5,746 candidates for interviews under its 2025 Overseas Scholarship Scheme.
The Fund made this disclosure on Monday during the commencement of the interview exercise in Kaduna, one of the designated centres in the North-West geopolitical zone.
Based on the data from the management, a total of 3,875 candidates were shortlisted for Master’s degrees (M.Sc) while 1,871 were selected for Doctorate programmes (PhD) in foreign universities this year. At the Kaduna centre, 560 candidates were shortlisted for the exercise, with 350 for M.Sc programmes compared to 210 candidates for PhDs.
Speaking on the selection exercise at the Kaduna Centre during a chat with journalists, Manager of Training at PTDF, Atahiru Ahmad, explained that the interview was part of the selection process and would run for a week for M.Sc candidates.
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According to him, to ensure that all qualified candidates in the country simultaneously participate in the interview process, the Fund has created six centres across the geopolitical zones, adding that applicants are given the option to choose the closest venue to them.
He explained: “We are expecting 350 candidates in Kaduna this week for the MSc interview. We schedule them for morning and afternoon.
“PTDF was saddled with the responsibility of developing capacity for the oil and gas industry. So, we are looking at oil and gas-related courses”, Ahmad added.
In his remarks, Director of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) in Katsina State, Malam Dalhatu Ibrahim, confirmed that the interview process in the state was being monitored for fairness and transparency, adding that this is not the first time the PTDF is conducting the exercise in the state.
He said: “They have their criteria on the basis of which they make their selection and shortlist on the basis of those criteria. They shortlist, they invite, and we come to monitor how fair and equitable the process is.”
The PTDF’s Overseas Scholarship Scheme, which covers all relevant academic expenses, focuses mainly on academic studies considered crucial to the development of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources industry.
