The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Development Technology Fund, Ahmed Aminu has attributed the delay in the full takeoff of the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies to the need to finalize the Memorandum of Understanding signed with its partners.

Aminu made this known during a facility tour of the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna on Monday.

He, however, expressed optimism that the college would be inaugurated in July.

Speaking, he reiterated PTDF’s efforts to build a stronger, more skilled workforce for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

In boosting local capacity in the oil and gas sector, Aminu said the PTDF has upgraded departments of chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, gas engineering, geology, and chemistry across 26 Nigerian universities.

He explained that the upgrade included the erection of new buildings, and equipping them with IT, furnishings, solar power, water, libraries, classrooms, and offices.

He listed some of the benefitting universities as The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Ibadan; University of Port-Harcourt; University of Maiduguri; and Usman Dan Fodio University.

Aminu also revealed that the PTDF was currently upgrading six additional departments in six universities across the six geo-political zones.

“Our mandate is building capacity in the oils and gas industry. We have scholarship programmes and we also have institutional upgrades.

“Upgrade entails new building, equipping it, bringing IT, furnishing, solar, water library, classroom, offices. This is a component of the upgrade,” he said.

He added that the PTDF had partnered with three United Kingdom universities to offer PhD programs in oil and gas-related fields, as part of efforts to build local capacity in the sector.

“The three universities are the University of Portsmouth; University of Strathclyde; and Robert Gordon University,” he said.

The partnership, which was signed last year, he said, would see students split their residency period between Nigeria and the UK, with the ultimate goal of obtaining an internationally recognized certificate.

According to him, the partnership is aimed at reducing costs, saving foreign exchange, and training more Nigerians.

“We feel it’s the right time to domesticate our programs, bring Nigerians to this place, train them so that they can get certificates that are competitive around the world,” he said.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Sunday Asefon, was part of the PTDF Executive Secretary’s entourage.