Nigerian varsities to train PTDF scholars, official tells VCs

Universities in Nigeria would now play greater roles in the training of oil and gas scholars of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).Speaking in Abuja while hosting Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities, the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Dr. Bello Aliyu Gusau said the universities are now expected to play greater roles in the domestication of all PTDF training and capacity building programmes.

He explained that the present scholarship arrangement, which is disproportionately focused on the Overseas Scholarship Scheme was no longer sustainable and therefore needs to be reversed, so that the bulk of the scholarship to be offered going forward would be for training in the nation’s universities.

He added: “At the moment PTDF has decided that there will be no more undergraduate Overseas Scholarships. All undergraduate programmes for sponsorship by PTDF will now be done in Nigerian universities. For the post-graduate programmes, the bulk of that for both the Masters and PhD’s will be done in Nigerian universities. We are also open to collaboration especially through the split-site PhD programme”

Gusau said the interactive session with the Vice Chancellors was to agree on relevant terms as well as gather sufficient information that would assist the PTDF in the planning and implementation process.

He however, clarified that the PTDF had not completely jettisoned overseas scholarship programmes, as it would continue to sponsor a few candidates overseas, especially for courses that are not offered in Nigerian universities and through partnership agreements with select foreign universities.

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed welcomed thePTDF initiative, which he said, tallies with the vision to collectively reform post graduate training in the country.

While agreeing with the new direction, the Vice Chancellors pointed out that the new strategic direction will strengthen the capacities of the universities in carrying out their teaching and research programmes as well as transform the study and learning environment.

Chairman, Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Professor Adebiyi Daramola said: “It is an idea whose time has come given the fact that the Nigerian university system has developed to the extent that sending majority of our post graduates students overseas for training was no longer necessary.”