President Bola Tinubu is set to inaugurate the newly licensed College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna (CPESK), later this month, according to Governor Uba Sani.
The Governor made this announcement during a courtesy visit from the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmad Galadima Aminu.
The PTDF began the process of establishing CPESK in 2009 to train senior technical, managerial, and executive personnel for Nigeria’s energy sector.
After years of efforts, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted CPESK a provisional license to operate as a private postgraduate university.
He said that the college is expected to admit its first batch of PhD students in September 2025, with a total of 3,702 applications already received under the Split-Site PhD Programme.
The governor added that screening and interviews were ongoing, and successful candidates would be admitted into five faculties, including faculty of Computing and Telecommunications Technology, faculty of Earth and Applied Sciences, faculty of Energy Law and Management Sciences.
He said that the college would initially operate with three faculties and six departments, offering 19 academic programs.
”PTDF has also signed strategic partnerships with the University of Strathclyde, Robert Gordon University, and the University of Portsmouth in the UK to support the delivery of split-site postgraduate programs.
”The partnerships will enable students to study primarily at CPESK in Kaduna, with short academic visits to the partner universities in the UK.
”This collaboration is expected to enhance the quality of education and research at CPESK, ” he said.
Governor Sani commended President Tinubu for granting the provisional license, describing it as a major step toward building local capacity in the petroleum sector.
He emphasised the importance of developing local capacity, stating, “We cannot make progress in a fast-changing and complex society if we fail to develop local capacity.”
The Governor assured the PTDF of his administration’s support to ensure the successful commissioning and smooth running of the institution.
