By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

Five thousand candidates from across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday began interviews for the 2025 Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS) of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

The candidates, drawn from over 29,000 applicants for Master’s and PhD programmes, are undergoing interviews at designated centres across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Speaking before the commencement of the exercise in Abuja, PTDF Executive Secretary, Ahmed Galadima Aminu, said the OSS, which began in 2000, has produced a pool of highly skilled professionals for Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Aminu, represented by the Deputy General Manager, Education and Training, Bello Mustapha, explained that the interviews were aimed at determining the suitability of candidates for the scholarship scheme.

“In furtherance of management’s commitment towards increased efficiency, minimizing costs, and seeking out new avenues for knowledge and technology development, the fund has sought out and developed strategic partnerships in UK, France, Germany and Malaysia, where beneficiaries of the PTDF scholarships will be offered the opportunity to study English taught programs at some of the best institutions in those countries.

“Starting from 2025, all PhD programs in the United Kingdom under this scheme would be offered exclusively as split-site programs in partnership with the PTDF-owned College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, and three universities in the UK, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and University of Portsmouth”.

Also speaking, the Head, Overseas Scholarship Scheme, Bolanle Agboola, disclosed that 29,000 candidates had applied for placements in the OSS with 5,000 shortlisted.

While declining to state the number that would be eventually selected, Agboola that decision would be made by PTDF management.

“First and foremost, this scheme has been ongoing for about 25 years now and over the years PTDF is known for its integrity, transparency and fairness in the scholarship award. We have different stages of short listing and it is a very rigorous and robust process.

“We have put a system in place, electronically, that would help allocate points based on information put in the application by students. After this, we physically check the information put in the application form and cross-check it with the certificate uploaded.

“This year, we had over 29,000 applications from interested candidates. Out of which, we shortlisted about 5,000 candidates, who would be taking the interview nationwide. But the number to be awarded the scholarship will be decided by the management, and it hasn’t been decided”, she stated.