The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) said it will in the coming week announce the processes for interested Nigerians to apply for its 2018/2019 undergraduate, masters and doctorate scholarship to Nigerian universities.
The Fund’s Executive Secretary, Aliyu Gusau, who disclosed this during the week at the induction ceremony for its 20182019 Overseas Scholarship Scheme for MSc and PhD scholars under PTDF’s United Kingdom Strategic Partnership, said candidates that will be selected for Nigerian universities, will be higher than those of the foreign scholarships.
Reiterating Dr. Gusau’s earlier announcement, spokesman for the Fund Mr. Kalu Otisi said: “We will be issuing out the request for interested candidates to apply. It will be advertised in newspapers within next week, hopefully. The window will be open up to September for those interested in the undergraduate, Masters and PhD scholarship in Nigerian universities specifically federal universities.”
Gusau at the induction ceremony also announced that scholars must henceforth complete their programmes within the stipulated time, as the Fund will no longer condone any form of extension, “except in extenuating circumstances.”
He told the beneficiaries that the fund would not be liable for any extension beyond the recommended periods.
He said, “This means that you must finish within the stipulated time, which is about 36 months for PhD scholars and for those going for MSc programmes…For this particular scholarship programme, we have about 122 MSc students and 76 PhD scholars for the UK.”
On the reduction in the number of PTDF’s partner universities in the UK from about 60 to 15, Gusau explained that the move was to strengthen the Fund and help reduce the huge cost being expended.
He said, “Before, we allowed students to go round the UK, pick any university of their choice and we provided the scholarship. But that does not provide value for money. So, we decided that we want the best and we came up with about 15 universities, which are among the best in the UK.”
