Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has commenced the screening of 151 shortlisted candidates from the South-East for its 2025/2026 Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS) for Master’s and Ph.D. programmes.
Mr. Uche Ikoku, Manager at the PTDF Centre for Skills and Development, Port Harcourt, disclosed this on Wednesday during the ongoing screening exercise at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC).
Ikoku explained that the candidates, who reside in the five states of the South-East, indicated the zone as their preferred screening location. The exercise, which spans three days, is being conducted in line with PTDF’s mandate and standards.
He noted that the screening process has been smooth and transparent, focusing on candidates’ academic suitability and the potential impact of their proposed research on Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Ikoku, who also leads the OSS screening team for the South-East centre, said the panel comprises professionals drawn from academia and the energy sector. Their expertise, he added, is vital in identifying the most deserving candidates.
“The applicants being screened are from various fields, including geology, engineering, management, and environmental sciences—areas where the PTDF has identified manpower gaps in the oil and gas industry,” he stated.
“The PTDF OSS has been running for about 25 years, and over the years, the programme has built a reputation for integrity, rigour, transparency, and fairness in its scholarship awards across the country,” he added.
Also speaking, the Lead Panelist for the South-East screening, Prof. Okwudiri Anyiam, said the panel evaluates candidates based on their academic credentials, research proposals or statements of purpose, professional memberships, and other criteria in line with PTDF templates.
“The screening has been seamless. We’ve met bright and intelligent Nigerians, and we are committed to recommending some of the best among them,” Anyiam said.
One of the candidates, Mr. Henry Udeh, a Ph.D. applicant, described the screening process as smooth and the questions as relevant to his academic focus. His research proposal is titled “Explaining the Impact of Environmental Changes on Groundwater Quality and Aquifer Vulnerability.”
Udeh said he applied after seeing the online advertisement for the scholarship.
Another candidate, Miss Kenechukwu Ifediora, whose Ph.D. research is titled “Machine Learning Application for Sustainable Economic Principles and Bioengineering Remediation in Waste Management within the Oil and Gas Sector,” expressed optimism that her work would make a significant impact in Nigeria’s energy landscape.
