By Daniel Abia

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has begun screening for its 2026/2027 Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme, with 746 applicants shortlisted for the exercise in the South-South geopolitical zone.

A release from the agency said PTDF is currently interviewing between 5,885 and 6,193 candidates from 38,398 applicants for the MSc and PhD programs.

The exercise, which runs from April 7 to 17, 2026, is taking place across the six geo-political zones of the country, with Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, serving as the centre for the South-South.

Peter Egheneji, Team Lead at the PTDF Port Harcourt Centre, said, “Part of PTDF’s mandate is to provide scholarships and bursary for the development of the oil and gas industry. The programme is meant to provide support in the form of scholarships for qualified Nigerians who can then pursue training in the oil and gas industry.

“This is the Port Harcourt Centre for the South-South geopolitical zone. This week, we have 503 candidates in the zone for the MSc programme. Next week, we will have the 243 shortlisted candidates for the PhD,” he said.

Egheneji disclosed that the programme is fully funded, adding that candidates do not need to work while going to school. “When you are qualified for the scholarship, you sign a bond stating that after the programme you must come back to Nigeria.”

Godwin Chukwu, a professor and consultant who led the panel of interviewers, which included Garba Malumfashi (NIPSS Kuru) and Tebekeme Okoko (professor, Niger Delta University), said he was impressed with the quality of applicants who turned up for the exercise.

“We have different criteria we are looking at. We look at what the student has done in their undergraduate studies and how they can apply that background and knowledge to a master’s degree in an area that will benefit oil and gas operations in Nigeria.

“You’ll be surprised that some applicants come from political science backgrounds, others from law—and you wonder, what are they doing here? How can PTDF sponsor them? Yet, they performed excellently well.

“Obviously, the programme is adding value. For example, the newly appointed deputy manager at the University of Kaduna, a PTDF scholar, is bringing value to the university,” he said.

Ifeoluwa Ajetunmobi, who applied for a PTDF Master’s Scholarship to study Engineering Management for Process Excellence at a UK university, described the process as seamless.

“The application was actually quite smooth because the website was flawless, so there were no issues uploading my documents. I wrote my statement of purpose, uploaded it, and the confirmation email came through on time.

“If I get this opportunity, I’m going to apply everything I’ve learned to address the gaps I’ve seen in the oil and gas industry to date. I currently work in the industry, and I’ve noticed issues sometimes stem from poor communication, weak management, and other avoidable factors, not equipment failure or technical incompetence”, she said.