The Petroleum Expertise Improvement Fund (PTDF) on Monday started interviews for two,102 candidates for the Abroad Scholarship Scheme (OSS) for its Physician of Philosophy (PhD) scholarship programme.
The programme seeks to construct high-level, specialised human capital for Nigeria’s oil, gasoline, and broader power sector. It does this by sponsoring Nigerians to undertake superior analysis in fields straight related to petroleum know-how, engineering, geosciences, power economics, and associated disciplines.
By inserting students in main worldwide universities, the programme permits the beneficiaries to accumulate cutting-edge information and produce it again to Nigeria, thereby guaranteeing a strategic pipeline for producing researchers, innovators, and business leaders who can drive Nigeria’s power sector ahead.
Talking on the headquarters of the PTDF in Abuja, the Deputy Normal Supervisor of Schooling and Coaching of the organisation, Dr. Bello Mustapha, stated the postgraduate interview, which might be concluded on Friday this week, is commencing after that for Msc college students ended final week.
“Final week, we did for the MSc in like 4 centres. Then right here, we’re commencing the second week for the PhD programmes now. (We have now) 2,102 nationwide, however in Abuja it’s 912, unfold throughout 5 days,” Mustapha defined.
He identified that the variety of individuals ultimately admitted into the programme will probably be based mostly on budgetary provisions, which will probably be a administration determination that will probably be taken on the finish of the day.
Mustapha careworn that if a candidate is picked and is unable to start the programme for any cause, they are going to be changed with the second greatest candidate from the affected state.
On which international locations the beneficiaries will probably be despatched to, Mustapha stated: “We have now the UK for the MSc, as a result of we’ve got domesticated our PhD now. We have now our personal college in CPSK in Kaduna, the place we’re doing split-site PhDs.
“So for PhD UK, we don’t ship, we’ve got an association with three universities, that you just spend one yr within the UK, then you definitely come and spend two years right here. So for the UK, it’s simply MSc that we ship individuals to now, for the time being. Then we’ve got Malaysia, we’ve got Germany, and we’ve got France.”
Additionally talking, one of many panelists, Prof. Bashir Aliyu from Modibo Adama College, Yola, rated the standard of interviewees excessive, explaining that one of many options the panelists look out for is the suitability for patenting and the way helpful will probably be to the nation as a complete.
“So what we’re doing at this degree is to take a look at the standard of the displays they’re making for his or her PhD proposals. What we test (is) mainly on the standard of their earlier works, publications, after which the skilled conduct and memberships.
“How promising are their proposals? Those we’ve got seen to this point, we’ve got the very, excellent, and we’ve got the great. Some are proper on what’s obtainable within the business. We have now some that possibly they haven’t completed intensive literature assessment to this point, however they’re all excellent,” he said.
One of many candidates who was shortlisted for the interview, Tanko Fwadwabea, a chemical engineer, said that his work is predicated on course of simulation because it pertains to blue hydrogen production particularly.
He said that the entire concept is to see how Nigeria can transition from a excessive power emission nation to a low emission nation, as many of the nation’s pure gasoline is being exported in uncooked type.
“So my very own dream is to see how Nigeria can add worth to the pure gasoline we’ve got via blue hydrogen production. And the concept is that whenever you’re producing hydrogen, for each one ton of hydrogen produced, 12 tons of CO2 is emitted. So this venture will have the ability to seize this emission and make it viable for the nation, assist us to satisfy our local weather goal and likewise our power transition plan,” he identified.
In his feedback, a geoscientist, Jonathan Jonah, one other interviewee, stated the scholarship will help in his analysis which entails plenty of {financial} dedication. “And with this scholarship, it would really ease the burden. And naturally, it would add worth to my very own pricey nation,” he emphasised.
A Federal Character Fee (FCC) official, John Imeji, who was additionally on floor to observe the method defined that to this point the ideas of federal character had been complied with by the PTDF.
“Our effort right here is to make sure that what they’re doing displays the character of the nation and there will probably be no cry or hue from any angle in any respect and to make sure that there may be transparency. (We’re good) so long as there may be transparency after which no one is short-changed both gender-wise or tribe-wise or zone-wise and so forth,” he said.
Emmanuel Addeh
Times Nigeria