The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) commenced interviews on Monday for 2,102 candidates vying for its Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) scholarship under the Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS).
This programme is designed to cultivate high-level, specialized human capital essential for Nigeria’s oil, gas, and broader energy industry. It achieves this by supporting Nigerians to pursue advanced studies in fields critical to petroleum technology, engineering, geosciences, energy economics, and related disciplines.
By enabling scholars to study at leading international universities, the initiative aims to impart cutting-edge knowledge that beneficiaries will bring back to Nigeria, fostering a strategic pipeline of researchers, innovators, and industry leaders poised to advance the nation's energy sector.
Speaking at the PTDF headquarters in Abuja, Dr. Bello Mustapha, the Deputy General Manager of Education and Training at the organisation, indicated that the PhD interviews, scheduled to conclude on Friday this week, follow the conclusion of MSc interviews held the previous week.
"Last week, we conducted interviews for the MSc programme in approximately four centres. This week, we are commencing the second week for the PhD programmes. We have a total of 2,102 candidates nationwide, with 912 of them being interviewed here in Abuja over five days," Mustapha elaborated.
He noted that the final number of individuals selected for the programme will be determined by available budgetary provisions, a decision that will be made by the management at the close of the process.
Mustapha emphasized that if a selected candidate is unable to commence their programme for any reason, they will be replaced by the next highest-scoring candidate from the same state.
Regarding the countries of study, Mustapha explained the current arrangement: "We send candidates to the UK for MSc programmes, as we have established our own PhD programme domestically. We have an arrangement with our university in CPSK, Kaduna, for split-site PhDs. Under this arrangement, scholars spend one year in the UK and then two years here. Therefore, for the UK, we are currently only sending students for MSc studies. Additionally, we have programmes in Malaysia, Germany, and France."
Professor Bashir Aliyu from Modibo Adama University, Yola, one of the panelists, assessed the quality of the interviewees as high. He highlighted that the panelists evaluate candidates based on their potential for patenting and the overall benefit their research could bring to Nigeria.
"At this stage, we are assessing the quality of their PhD proposals. Our evaluation primarily focuses on the quality of their previous academic work, publications, and their professional conduct and affiliations. We also gauge how promising their proposals are. The candidates we have seen so far are generally very good, with some proposals aligning closely with industry needs, while others may require further refinement in their literature review, though all are commendable," he stated.
Tanko Fwadwabea, a chemical engineer and one of the shortlisted applicants, shared that his research focuses on process simulation for blue hydrogen production. He aims to explore how Nigeria can transition from a high-emission country to a low-emission one, especially given that a significant portion of the nation's natural gas is exported in its raw form.
"My aspiration is to investigate how Nigeria can add value to its natural gas reserves through blue hydrogen production. The challenge is that producing one ton of hydrogen typically emits 12 tons of CO2. This project seeks to capture these emissions, making it viable for the country and aiding us in meeting our climate targets and energy transition plan," he explained.
Jonathan Jonah, a geoscientist and another interviewee, commented that the scholarship would greatly support his research, which requires substantial financial resources. "With this scholarship, the burden will be eased, and it will undoubtedly add value to my beloved country," he affirmed.
John Imeji, an official from the Federal Character Commission (FCC) present to observe the proceedings, confirmed that PTDF had thus far adhered to the principles of federal character in the process.
"Our objective here is to ensure that the process aligns with the character of the nation, preventing any dissatisfaction from any quarter and guaranteeing transparency. We are satisfied as long as transparency is maintained and no individual or group is disadvantaged based on gender, tribe, or geopolitical zone," he stated.
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