SPECIAL INITIATIVES

SPECIAL PROGRAMMES/PROJECTS IN THE NIGER DELTA

In line with Mr. President’s vision of Poverty Eradiation, empowering the youth in the Niger Delta and the need to re-inject the resources derived from the oil producing communities with a view to addressing the problems existent in area, the PTDF has been mandated to undertake some strategic projects/programmes in the oil producing states. Some of these special projects include:

• Completion of the Federal Technical Institute, Bonny, Rivers State designed to train students in obtaining professional certificates in Gas, Petroleum   and Environmental studies.
• Establishment of the Federal Polytechnics, Ekowe, Bayelsa State with specialization in Gas, Petroleum and Environmental studies.
• Establishment of primary and secondary schools at Oporaza and Okeronkoko communities in Delta State.

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (LSS)
The PTDF in pursuance of its mandate to train Nigerians in oil and gas has introduced local scholarship scheme. Under the pilot scheme, qualified Nigerians will be trained locally at the 8 universities upgraded by the Fund nationwide at both undergraduate and master’s levels, effective from this 2007/2008 academic session.
2ND PHASE UPGRADES
Already, 8 other universities, 1 each from the 6 geo-political zones and 2 additional from the mineral producing states were identified for upgrading. The benefiting Universities are: Calabar, Ile Ife, Owerri, Kano, Bauchi, Minna, Uyo and Ilorin.