PTDF seeks UK intervention over rising tuition, visa delays

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund has called on the United Kingdom to address rising university tuition fees and visa delays affecting Nigerian scholarship beneficiaries, warning that the challenges could undermine access to overseas education despite growing demand for its programmes.

The Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Shu’aibu Aliyu, said the fund had sponsored nearly 15,000 Nigerians for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Nigeria and abroad, with the United Kingdom remaining one of its major academic partners.

Aliyu made the appeal on Tuesday during a high-level bilateral meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Peter Vowles, at the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Kaduna.

He said the increasing cost of studying in the UK was becoming a major concern for the fund, which also maintains academic partnerships with Germany, France and Malaysia.

“I would like to take this opportunity to highlight several challenges we are grappling with our UK partners for the High Commission’s attention. This includes an incessant increase of tuition. This is a very, very critical issue that PTDF is always grappling with.

“Compared to other European countries, these are crisis problems. I want to draw the attention of His Excellency and your delegation to the fact that we have partnerships with other countries. We have a partnership with Germany, we have a partnership with France, and we have a partnership with Malaysia,” Aliyu said.

He added that the PTDF had developed a system with German partners to reduce tuition costs, allowing it to send more scholars to the country.

“But we have to recognise that between Nigeria and the UK, I have said from the outset, we have a shared common value in terms of the education system. And often now, we recognise that the British education system is one of the most robust,” he said.

“Therefore, we cannot compromise, but at the same time, we have to draw attention. These are part of the issues we are grappling with. An issue of visas. So, therefore, we want to see the intervention where the British High Commissioner will intervene so that we can build a very strong framework in which we can actually address that particular issue.”

The PTDF boss said the fund was also seeking British government support to improve the monitoring of Nigerian scholars studying in UK universities.

Responding, Vowles acknowledged the concerns over tuition fees and visa processing, promising to relay them to the relevant authorities in the UK.

“Executive Secretary, you raised a couple of challenges. We appreciate and acknowledge the difficulties sometimes in that. You mentioned visa and increases in tuition fees. Of course, we will take that away as a team and communicate back into the UK system,” he said.

Vowles, who said he had been in Nigeria for about six weeks, described the PTDF as a key partner of British universities and praised its investment in developing a postgraduate institution in Kaduna.

He said the UK remained committed to providing quality education to Nigerian scholars and welcomed the PTDF’s ambition to extend its academic programmes to other African countries.

“We are committed to continue to make sure that we can provide a quality, world-class education, supported in partnership with the PTDF, and we are committed, those universities and the UK, to that level of excellence,” he said.

The high commissioner also pointed to steps taken to streamline visa processing for PTDF beneficiaries, noting that the fund’s recognition as a government-approved sponsor was expected to make the process smoother.

“I think the fact that our government has authorised and recognised the PTDF as an approved sponsor is also a demonstration of how much we value the partnership with the PTDF,” Vowles said.

He added, “I can close by assuring you, Executive Secretary, of our continued commitment to engaging with you and the partnership with your institution, but to finding ways for talented Nigerian scholars to access UK excellence.”

The visa challenge was also reflected in the experience of one of the PTDF beneficiaries, Zulqornain Abdulsalam Gambari, who is pursuing a PhD at the University of Portsmouth.

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Gambari, whose research focuses on using artificial intelligence to predict the maintenance needs of solar photovoltaic cells, said he arrived in the UK in August, although his programme was scheduled to begin in June, because of visa delays.

“The programme was supposed to start in June, but there were some delays with my visa. The University of Portsmouth has been really prepared to receive us. It has been a very positive experience,” he said.

He praised the university’s research facilities, access to academic journals and support from supervisors, adding that the international environment had broadened his academic and professional experience.

Another PTDF scholar, Olamide Oseni, studying in Scotland, said his research involved developing digital tools to predict pipeline failures and fatigue.

Oseni who joined the meeting virtually described his experience as positive, citing support from his supervisors and the wider academic community.

The PTDF boss added that the agency is seeking to reduce the cost of international education by expanding training opportunities in Nigeria.

Aliyu said the fund had introduced a split-site PhD programme under which scholars undertake part of their doctoral studies in Nigeria and the remainder at partner universities in the UK.

The arrangement is designed to reduce overseas education costs, strengthen local institutions and preserve access to internationally recognised qualifications.

“As I’m talking to you now, we have started this year. We have 45 students now studying in the UK and we are expecting them to come back to Nigeria in the first quarter of next year. Through the Overseas Scholarship Scheme and the In-Country Scholarship Scheme, the Fund has sponsored nearly 15,000 Nigerians to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate education in Nigeria and abroad. As of July 2026, 1,571 scholars were studying across 15 countries and over 120 partner institutions, while demand for PTDF scholarships continues to increase significantly,” he said.

The scholars are undertaking the programme through partnerships involving Staffordshire University, Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.

Aliyu said the PTDF also wanted to explore arrangements that would enable scholars to obtain qualifications from both Nigerian and British institutions.

The fund’s broader strategy includes strengthening technical education, applied research and vocational training to address the skills gap among Nigerian graduates.

It operates a Centre for Skills Development and Training in Port Harcourt for technical and vocational education and is developing the Kaduna-based university as a postgraduate institution focused on advanced research and energy-related disciplines.

Aliyu said the university was intended to serve not only Nigeria but also the wider West African region, particularly as countries across the sub-region seek technical expertise in the energy and gas industries.

He said the PTDF was exploring stronger cooperation with the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation to expand human capital development across the continent.

The fund also wants British universities and industry experts to support faculty development, research exchanges and collaboration in emerging energy technologies, including hydrogen, carbon capture, geothermal energy and solar power.

Aliyu said the proposed partnership would help translate investments in physical infrastructure into practical research and industry-ready skills.

The PTDF’s appeal comes as the cost of overseas education and the administrative requirements for international travel remain important considerations for publicly funded scholarship programmes.

The meeting ended with a resolve on deeper and closer cooperation with British institutions. This is critical to maintaining access to postgraduate education while expanding the capacity of Nigerian universities to deliver internationally competitive training.