Jane Salihu
The Federal Government has released the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) covering eight months for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation, saying the payment covers the period from January to August 2026.
Alausa explained that the release was in line with the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN-ASUU) agreement and directed eligible tertiary institutions to commence payment to their academic staff.
“The Office of the Minister of Education is happy to announce that the full CATA payment has now been released by the Federal Government from January to August 2026 to all universities, all polytechnics and colleges of education,” he said.
“All these institutions should have received notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff.”
CATA is designed to assist academic staff with the purchase of essential tools and materials needed for teaching, research and other academic activities.
The minister, however, said payment to non-academic staff was still being processed, with the funds expected to be made available within the next few weeks.
According to him, the release of the allowance reflects the administration’s efforts to improve the welfare of workers in the tertiary education sector while implementing agreements reached with academic unions.
Alausa said the government’s education reforms were not limited to staff welfare, noting that the administration had also increased investment in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.
He said the government remained focused on ensuring that Nigerian children have access to quality education capable of competing with standards anywhere in the world.
“This is a President that believes so much in education. He has delivered beyond his promises to ensure that every single child in this country gets the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world,” Alausa said.
The minister described the latest intervention as another step in the Federal Government’s broader efforts to improve the conditions of service for education workers and strengthen the nation’s tertiary education system.
