1,643 Students Jostle For PTDF 2024 In-Country Scholarship From Six States In Nigeria

A total of 1,643 postgraduate students from the six states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti, are currently jostling for the 2024 In-Country Scholarship Scheme of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

The disclosure was made on the sidelines of the interview for the shortlisted applicants from the geopolitical zone, held at Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Ibadan, on Tuesday.

The PTDF’s Chief Officer and Team Lead for the South West Interview Panel for the scholarship scheme, Tajudeen Ibiyeye, revealed that a total of 1,643 students were shortlisted for the interview across the country, for both Masters and Doctorate degree programmes.

He added that from South West, 255 students were invited for the interview among the applicants from different universities.

Ibiyeye stated: “For South West, we have 255 applicants. We have 185 MSc and 70 Ph.D applicants from different institutions across the South West of Nigeria.

“The areas of focus for this scholarship scheme are management, engineering, geoscience, and information communication technology (ICT).”

Ibiyeye explained that the successful applicants would be sponsored for their Masters and Doctorate Degree programmes by the PTDF.

He stated that the In-country scholarship scheme was designed for students, pursuing their postgraduate studies in different universities within Nigeria.

Ibiyeye also noted that the first criteriion for selection for the physical interview is that the applicant must be a Nigerian, and must have completed his or her first degree programme with a minimum grade of 2.1 and with a good O-level certificate. He added that the interview was emplaced to get the best among the applicants for the in-country scholarship towards adding values to the oil and gas sector.

He was optimistic that those that would be the eventually beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme would embark on research that would among other things, support the gradual transition of Nigeria from massive usage of petrol to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Three among the interviewed applicants, Mrs. Yetunde Oriji, a doctorate degree student at Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State; Okunowo Olutayo, a doctorare degree student at the University of Lagos; and Adeeyo Kayode, a masters degree student at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said they applied for the scholarship online and they were shortlisted for the interview. They described the interview session as strict and good.