Abuja — About 80 Nigerians on Wednesday left for several universities in the United Kingdom as part of Overseas Scholarship Scheme of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) aimed at improving local participation in the oil and gas sector.
Another 320 are expected to depart the country in the coming days to bring the total of those being sent out on overseas scholarship this year to 500.
Assistant General Manager, Training and Education Division of the PTDF, Aminu Galadima, disclosed this to Daily Independent during an interview in Abuja.
He said the scholars are being sent to top 20 universities in the UK with excellent training facilities on oil and gas related fields.
Galadima explained that while 60 of the scholars would study for their PhD, the remaining 340 would be in the UK for their master's programme.
He added that the scholars who are expected to be in the UK for 12 to 36 months would upon completion of studies boost the country's quest for increased participation of its citizens in the oil and gas industry.
He stated that PTDF has a Memorandum of Understanding with several universities in the UK such as the University of Aberdeen, University College, London, University of Newcastle, University of Leeds and Crown Field University, among others that allow it to send up to 50 Nigerians to each intituction.
While saying that the universities were not arbitrarily selected, Galadima disclosed that their facilities and programmes were inspected by officials of PTDF led by its Executive Secretary, Muttagha Rabe Darma to ascertain their suitability to handle the students.
He said the beneficiaries were selected to meet specific gaps discovered by PTDF in the oil and gas industry where Nigeria does not have prerequisite training to man such positions.
To this end, he noted, the beneficiaries would specialise in process engineering, sub-sea engineering, reservoir engineering among others.
The 9ja oil industry is doing well, by allowing both post graduate and undergraduates to apply for schorlarships like \Total, Mobil and the rest. more grease to there elbows
Posted: at 21-09-2009 01:28 PM (15 years ago) | Newbie
elusakin at 21-09-2009 03:57 PM (15 years ago) (m)
You think a senator needs scholarship to send kids abroad?
I just hope these guys would wanna come back and pay-back. I've heard thousands of stories where people get scholarship and they get abroad to naturalize.
ARAB MONEY SWEET OO.
Posted: at 21-09-2009 03:57 PM (15 years ago) | Upcoming
Dguy
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