No fewer than 5,000 applicants on Monday begun the interview for the 2025/2026 Postgraduate Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS) by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) in the six geopolitical zones and Abuja.
The Overseas Scholarship Scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the Fund. Successful candidates would have the opportunity of undergoing either their masters or doctorate programmes in oil and gas related courses in universities in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Malaysia.
The Head, PTDF scholarship scheme, Bolanle Kehinde Agboola who noted that over 29,000 applications were received from across the country, explained that out of the 5,000 candidates shortlisted, the scholarships would be awarded to successful candidates at the end of the screening sessions for the M.Sc and PhD candidates.
According to her, the scholarship which has been running for 25 years, was aimed at providing Nigerian students an opportunity to get the intellectual foundation and skills required to participate actively in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
She said: “This year, we have over 29,000 candidates who applied for the scholarship out of which we shortlisted about 5,000 applicants or candidates.”
Agboola who noted that the number of candidates to be awarded scholarship would be determined by the management, stressed that the PTDF remains committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in the entire process of awarding its scholarship.
“We have different stages of shortlisting, which is very rigorous and very robust. When the application window opens, we already have a system in place electronically that will allocate points based on the information that the students put in the application and the points are allocated.
“After this is done, we physically check what’s the information that has been put in the application form, and cross-check it with the certificates that are uploaded.
“For instance, if somebody fills in his application form that he has a 2.1, we want to know if indeed the certificate that he uploaded is a 2.1 and sometimes, you know, people want to play smart, they put that 2.1, but at the end of the day, maybe it’s a 3rd class.
“After that is done, we shortlist based on our criteria that we have already set, and we have the oral interview, like what we are having today. The panelists are drawn from both the oil and gas industry and the academia and the process is very transparent.”
One of the interviewee, Usman Auwal Rimi from Kano State, M.Sc candidate who applied to study International Commercial Law with University of Nottingham as his first choice, expressed optimism he be selected, given the high level of transparency and fairness in the selection process.
“Everyone has been nice so far and professional and I’m very optimistic that it will be as for good.”
Another applicant, Eloho Eweridu from Delta State, also noted that the selection process thus far, had been transparent.
Eweridu who applied for an MSc in International Business Management, noted that “The process is very transparent and it was very easy to apply. So far everything has been smooth. It’s understandable what we’re doing and what they want from us. The instructions are clear.
Speaking on her expectations she said, “from the interview; hopefully it goes smoothly, I’m able to plead my case of why the scholarship should come to me and I get it.”
Kuye Emmanuel from Ogun State applied for
Energy and Sustainable Engineering in Technical University of Munich, Germany. He is optimistic he would be awarded the scholarship, even as he added he hasn’t encountered form of frustration of challenge in the process thus far.
“I didn’t have any challenge. The whole process was seamless, they were timely. I’m very happy. I expect that based on the interview, I deliver well and I get the whole scholarship.”
