President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to commission the newly established College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna (CPESK), later this month, following the granting of a provisional license for the institution to operate as a private postgraduate university.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, disclosed this on Monday when he received the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmad Galadima Aminu, on a courtesy visit at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.
Commending the President for his commitment to human capital development, Governor Sani emphasized the strategic importance of the new institution in transforming Nigeria’s energy landscape.
“We cannot make progress in a fast-changing and complex society if we fail to develop local capacity,” he said. “This College, if well supported, has the potential to develop indigenous manpower that will change the face of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry.”
He assured the PTDF of the state government’s full support to ensure a successful commissioning and smooth operation of the college. “Kindly approach the Kaduna State Government for any assistance required,” the Governor stated.
Earlier, the PTDF boss briefed the Governor on the progress made toward the formal take-off of the college. He revealed that CPESK is scheduled to admit its first cohort of PhD students in September 2025.
“A total of 3,702 applications were received for the Split-Site PhD Programme. Screening and interviews are currently ongoing, and successful candidates will be admitted into five faculties,” Ahmad Galadima said.
The initial faculties include the Faculty of Computing and Telecommunications Technology, Faculty of Earth and Applied Sciences, and the Faculty of Energy Law and Management Sciences.
Galadima added that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had granted CPESK a license to operate as a private postgraduate institution, offering 19 academic programmes across six departments and three faculties.
He further disclosed that PTDF has established strategic partnerships with three UK institutions — the University of Strathclyde, Robert Gordon University, and the University of Portsmouth — to support a split-site postgraduate model. Under this model, students will study primarily in Kaduna, with short academic stays at the partner universities in the UK.
The PTDF Executive Secretary recalled that the idea for CPESK was initiated in 2009, aiming to train senior technical, managerial, and executive personnel for Nigeria’s energy sector.
