A total of 2,288 candidates are competing for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) overseas postgraduate scholarship in the South-South geo-political zone.
PTDF has initiated a physical oral interview selection process for the applicants.
The PTDF reassured participants of the transparency of the interview selection exercise, adding that previous scholars could vouch for the fund’s transparency in selection process.
The selection interview is a continuation of the application process, which began in February 2023 with advertisements in national newspapers inviting qualified Nigerians to apply.
Mr. Sobomabo West, the PTDF Team Lead for the Overseas Scholarship Scheme in Port Harcourt, stated that the interview process for the shortlisted candidates in the MSc and PhD categories started on Monday, June 19 and would continue until June 23, 2023.
The interviews, according to him, were taking place in six designated centres across the six geo-political zones, with the University of Port Harcourt’s Institute of Petroleum Studies serving as the centre for the South-South region.
In the South-South geo-political zone, West disclosed that a total of 647 applicants would be interviewed for the PhD category, while 1,642 applicants would be interviewed for the MSc category.
“The PTDF Overseas Scholarship Scheme has over the years succeeded in producing well-trained, competent and skilled professional manpower for the various segments of the oil and gas industry.
” The areas of training include Engineering, Geology, Environmental Studies, Sciences, Management, Law, Accounting, Renewable Energy, Information Technology and offshore-related courses.
“Yesterday we had officials from the Federal Character Commission and I can assure you that we are transparent in the selection process. We have qualified panellists to look at every applicant’s case and all these we do through newspaper publications”, West said.
The PTDF emphasized that there were scholars who could confirm the transparency of their selection process, assuring that the list of shortlisted candidates would be published which would allow anyone to verify that the selected individuals were not the same ones who had gone through the previous stages of the process.
Dr. Joseph Amieibibiama, a panellist and postgraduate coordinator at IPS, expressed his belief that the PTDF scholarship was the best in the world, surpassing other scholarships, including commonwealth scholarships.
As a beneficiary of the PTDF overseas scholarship himself, Amieibibiama encouraged prospective candidates to put in their best efforts, highlighting the high level of competition involved.
He also advised potential beneficiaries to commit to returning to Nigeria after their studies to contribute to the country’s development.
“They should work hard, it’s actually a rigorous process and highly competitive. As of when I got mine, we are only two who were selected from Rivers State. The process is not biased, you don’t need to know somebody to get the scholarship.
“For anyone who is selected for this scholarship, they should go abroad to study and come back to Nigeria to develop the country”, Amieibibiama said.
