Scholarship: PTDF Screens 229 Candidates in Rivers, 403 in North-west

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) yesterday conducted interview for about 229 candidates that registered for the 2023/2024 post graduates scholarship for South-south zone.

Similarly, PTDF has commenced the screening of 403 applicants in the North-west Zone for its ‘In-Country Scholarship Scheme’.

The PTDF is saddled with the responsibility of developing indigenous human capacity and petroleum technology to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry.

However, candidates who came from different areas of the zone had their interview at the Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS) University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking with journalists during the event, the PTDF team lead for local scholarship scheme, for the South South geopolitical zone, Ere Iyalla revealed that about 12 panelists conducted the interview.

He said that “229 candidates registered in this zone, of which 99 of them are for PhD, 130 are for MSc. This is one of our key programmes for many years. So this is just the 2023/2024 version of the programme.”

Explaining the criteria for selection of candidates for the scholarship, Iyalla said that they include “your academic performance, your research potential, your leadership qualities and suitability for post graduate studies.

“To start with, we have a pre-selection process which helped to filter the best, so we have the best of the best. Is competition among the best.”

Iyalla added that “those that wish to study in our local institutions, this is the in-country scholarship scheme and is targeted towards Nigerians who want to study in the country. So by the scholarship, we support Nigerians to study in the country’s universities”.

Some of the candidates expressed delight that they were chosen for the scholarship, adding that the entry process was transparent.

Mr. Adebayo Ayodeji, a proposed beneficiary of the PhD scholarship, said that during the interview, he impressed the panelists with his oral submission on his research proposal.

Ayodeji, who disclosed that his PhD research is in the area of “Corrosion Monitoring and Prediction in Petroleum Refining Unit using Artificial Intelligence (AI),” said that this is a great opportunity that would enable him to harness the proposed research.

He said: “I applied for a PhD scholarship and in the interview hall it was a nice experience. The interviewers were warm, they asked a bit questions around my proposal for my PhD, I gave my response and the knowledge gap that is in the research and what the research will table in the oil and gas industry.

“They were quite impressed by my proposition and I am hopeful that the scholarship comes eventually. I intend to harness the resources AI, to be able to predict and monitor corrosion in the oil and gas sector.”

On her part, Mrs. Susan Emerure, an MSc Environmental Toxicology student at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Delta State, said : “I was scared at first, but the interview was not stressful, we were asked to explain what we are studying, to know if we really understand what we are embarking on. We were asked questions on our proposal and how it relates to PTDF.”

Meanwhile,  the PTDF  has commenced the screening of 403 applicants in the North West Zone for its ‘In-Country Scholarship Scheme’.

In an interview yesterday with journalists at the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies (CPES), Kaduna, venue of the screening, the Team Lead for the Northwest Zone, Saratu Abdullahi Idris, said the scholarship aimed at providing skilled manpower for the oil and gas sector.

She said the 403 applicants cut across five areas of studies -Engineering, Computing, Geosciences, Environmental Science and Management.

Idris said the exercise is one of the mandates of the PTDF, which has been going on for years.

“There are 403 applicants being screened today. We have 267 applicants for MSc programmes and 136 applicants for PhD. programmes.

“The candidates cut across five different areas of studies – Engineering, Computing, Geosciences, Environmental Science and Management,” she said.

Idris dismissed insinuations that the interview is a mere formality as those with “connections” are often the ones who get selected.

She maintained that PTDF selection processes are the most transparent and the most credible, adding that the processes are automated.

“I can assure that our scholarship processes are the most transparent because all the processes are automated.

“Since 2019, we deployed a new scholarship management portal that manages processes of application throughout the life circle of the scholarship till one gets awarded…

“We do the shortlisting according to the criteria and the number per state.

“The physical interview is when we verify the information applicants put on the portal,” she said.

She added that many of those who had benefited from the scholarship can testify that they didn’t know anybody in PTDF, and they were awarded the scholarship.

According to her, “The mandate of the PTDF is to build the capacity and capabilities of the oil and gas industry.

“We give scholarships to educate the successful awardees. They come with different research on how to improve the oil and gas sector. We are also trying to see how we can domesticate this and be doing it in Nigeria.

“We are providing the necessary education and skills for the oil industry.”

One of the panelists, Lucky Imagbe, a lecturer at the University of Jos, said the applicants did their best considering the economic situation in Nigeria.

He commended the PTDF for the programme, describing it as excellent.

Also, in an interview, one of the applicants, Abdullahi Aliyu, described the selection process as  fair and objective.

He said he needed the scholarship because of the economic situation in the country as he does not have the wherewithal to fund his education.