PTDF pledges collaboration with oil, gas coys to absorb scholarship students

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has announced plans to work closely with stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to ensure that students trained under its scholarship programme are absorbed into key roles within the sector.

This was made known by Mrs Bolanle Agboola, Head of the Overseas Scholarship Scheme at PTDF, during her keynote address at a one-day sensitisation and capacity-building programme held for students of the University of Uyo on Thursday.

Her presentation, titled “PTDF: A Tool for Young People’s Development in the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry”, underlined the agency’s commitment to nurturing skilled professionals for the energy sector through strategic investment in education.

Agboola stated that since PTDF’s inception in 2001, thousands of Nigerians have benefitted from both in-country and overseas scholarship opportunities. She pointed out that the Fund’s educational support extends beyond tertiary institutions, reaching secondary school levels as part of a broader push for national development.

She explained that the scholarships are aimed at addressing technical challenges in the oil industry while promoting knowledge transfer through academic and professional training.

“Over the past 20 years, more than 8,000 Nigerians have benefitted from PTDF scholarships, all under our Human Capital Development initiative,” Agboola said.

“I am here today to inform and engage students of this university about what the PTDF offers. Our focus is not just on institutional capacity building but also on developing human capital.

“Through our Human Capital Development efforts, we have introduced several programmes, among which the scholarship scheme remains the most popular among students,” she said.

Agboola elaborated on the structure of the scholarship programme, which is designed to fund studies in oil and gas-related disciplines. The scheme has two major components: the Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS), which sends students to globally recognised universities, and the In-Country Scholarship Scheme (ISS), which supports academic pursuits within Nigeria.

“To be eligible, a candidate must be Nigerian and must be pursuing a course relevant to the oil and gas industry,” she clarified.

However, she expressed concern over the growing number of beneficiaries who choose not to return to Nigeria after completing their studies abroad, citing the lack of employment opportunities and the inability of oil companies to retain their expertise.

In his remarks earlier at the event, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Students Engagement, Mr Asefon Sunday, acknowledged the readiness of Nigerian youth to learn, lead, and contribute meaningfully to the oil and gas sector.

He praised PTDF for its sustained commitment to education and human capital development in a sector that remains critical to Nigeria’s economy.

Echoing this sentiment, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr Oladoja Olushola, encouraged students to embrace the opportunities provided by the PTDF with determination, curiosity, and a forward-thinking mindset.

He urged them to approach the scholarship not just as a financial lifeline, but as a stepping stone to innovation and excellence within the oil and gas industry.