By Moses Patience Chat
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) on Monday said it has received 40 pieces of a certificate screening device from Prof. Mukhtar Abdulkadir, who was a beneficiary of the PTDF scholarship 17 years ago in 2006.
Dr. Bello Aliyu Gusau, who is the Executive Secretary (ES) of PTDF, stated this during the screening exercise for the 2023/2024 cohort of the Fund’s Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS) for MSc and Ph.D. He was represented at the event by the Head of Overseas Scholarship Scheme Division, Mrs Bolanle Kehinde Agboola, which held at PTDF Headquarters in Abuja.
The verification system involves the use of mercury lamps to detect the authenticity of certificates, and this is intended to curtail the rate at which applicants involve in certificate and result forgery in order to fraudulently qualify for the scholarship award.
The donor of the mercury lamps, Prof. Abdulkadir, is also the Head of the Department (HOD) of Petroleum and Gas Engineering at Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna in Niger State. Speaking with newsmen, he explained that his academic and professional success could not have been possible without the help of God and PTDF, which is why he has chosen to contribute in preserving the integrity and credibility of the process by donating the certificate screening equipment, which he procured at the cost of N500, 000.
Commenting further, the ES noted that PTDF is committed to increasing efficiency, minimizing cost, and seeking out new avenues for knowledge and technology development. He also urged panelists to treat all the candidates with utmost respect as is expected of an institution of the Federal Government, which is concerned with their well-being.
Officials of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) were also part of the interview exercise to monitor the process and ensure that the federal character principle is strictly adhered to. The interview process is a continuation of the screening scholarship process, which began on 13th February 2023, with a public announcement inviting interested candidates from across the country to apply for the PTDF Overseas Scholarship in Universities in the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France, China, and Malaysia (GFCM) under its Strategic Partnership Initiative.
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund Scholarship Award is one of the fully funded scholarship programs in Nigeria, which is committed to providing full tuition for students in Nigeria. The selection criteria is based on applicants’ performance.