The Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, has shortlisted 606 applicants targeting masters and PhD foreign scholarships, for a physical screening exercise at the Bauchi Centre.
Speaking at the ongoing screening at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, in Bauchi, on Monday, Suraju Abdullahi Fari, the team lead of the fund, noted that the screening is taking place across six states.
According to Fari, 606 candidates have been invited for screening for both second- and third-degree programmes.
He explained that the applicants were selected through an online application process managed by a computerised system and verified by the fund’s independent consultant to ensure transparency.
Fari stated that the selected applications must focus on oil and gas or renewable energy to address some of the nation’s energy challenges.
“For transparency and fairness, we conducted the application process online, where initial selections were made by a computer system. These selections were then reviewed by our staff, and vetted by independent consultants. We also invited a panel of experts from various universities and industries, including Shell and Chevron,” he said.
Also, one of the panellists, Dr Usman Hassan, Head of Department, Petroleum Engineering, at ATBU, said most of the proposals of the applicants interviewed so far were relevant to the Nigerian oil and gas industry.