PTDF Shortlists 3,237 for Scholarship Interview – Official

No fewer than 3, 237 candidates were shortlisted for interview for In-Country Scholarship Scheme (ISS) for Masters and PhD award categories of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), scholarship scheme, the Fund has said.

Mrs Violet Ogbomo, Head, In-country Scholarship Scheme, PTDF gave the figure while fielding questions from journalists at Fund Headquarters in Abuja, during the opening of the selection interview for shortlisted candidates for 2021/2022 academic session.

It was gathered that the scheme is one of the scholarship programmes of the PTDF designed to provide Nigerian students with the requisite intellectual abilities and skill sets.

PTDF sponsors students/awardees in all major disciplines related to oil and gas and energy industries, including engineering, geosciences, environmental studies, computing and management.

The skills help the candidates to participate actively in Nigeria’s oil, energy, and gas industry after their studies in federal universities across Nigeria.

Ogbomo, during the opening of the five-day selection interview said the scheme covered scholarship and sponsorship to train eligible Nigerians in Federal Universities in Nigeria.

She said the selection interview which covered the six geo-political zones in the country had 2,885 candidates being shortlisted for the Masters while about 352 candidates were shortlisted for the Phd category.

“It is taking place simultaneously in other locations including Bayero University Kano, University of Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt, University of Nigeria Nsukka and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

She said that the candidates were also given opportunity to choose centres closest to them for the interview and also for the virtual interview.

“Each day we are expected to interview an average of 353 candidates in each of the five centres apart from Enugu, which has fewer number of candidates that subscribed to that location.

“The decision of the number to be taken is left for the management to take at the end of the exercise,’’ she said.

Ogbomo further said that the panelists were selected based on competence and were expected to display professionalism, commitment and equity to all the candidates that would appear before them.

“Presently we have officials from the Federal Character Commission too and therefore they are in all the centres to monitor the interview,’’ she said.

June 14, 2022