PTDF Shortlists 3,237 Applicants For Nigeria’s Scholarship

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has shortlisted 3,237 postgraduate candidates for the 2022 In-country Scholarship Scheme (ISS).

Speaking on Monday during the commencement of the selection interview exercise at the PTDF headquarters in Abuja, the Head In-Country Scholarship Scheme at PTDF, Violet Ogbomo, said the Fund picked 2,885 applicants for Master of Science programme and 352 candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme, selected from federal universities.

The PTDF official said the week-long interview was held in Abuja and five other locations simultaneously.

“We have Bayero University Kano, University of Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt, University of Nigeria Nsukka, and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. These centres cover the six geopolitical zones including the south east.”

To ensure transparency during the interview process, officials of the Federal Character Ccommission (FCC) were present across the centres to monitor the process until Saturday 18th of June 2022 when the interview will end.

She said, “Each day, we were expected to interview an average of 353 candidates per centre and candidates had the opportunity to pick any centre of their choice. They also had the choice to pick the virtual interview option.”

Ms Ogbomo also said from the 3,237 shortlisted candidates, the number to be picked for the scholarship would be determined by the management after appraising the interview.

She noted that the candidates were drawn from five fields of studies comprising engineering, geology, computing, environmental and management, adding that, “we have experts in all these fields.”