FG Announces Payment Of January-August Tools Allowance To Tertiary Institution Lecturers
The Federal Government has announced the release of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, covering the period from January to August 2026.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the ministerial committee on accreditation.
CATA is a financial allowance provided to academic staff to support the purchase of essential tools and materials required for teaching, research and other academic activities.
Alausa said the payment was made in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN/ASUU) agreement, reaffirming the government’s commitment to implementing the agreement.
“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,” Alausa said.
He added that the affected institutions should have received notifications to commence payment of the allowance to their academic staff.
“All these institutions should have received notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that efforts were underway to facilitate the payment of the corresponding allowance to non-academic staff, expressing hope that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks.
Alausa described the development as another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
“President Bola Tinubu made a commitment to ensuring that the quality and welfare of our staff are prioritised. He has prioritised the welfare of our staff,” he said.
The minister said the administration’s education reforms extended beyond staff welfare, noting that significant investments were being made in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.
He added that the government was committed to ensuring that Nigerian children receive 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 latest announcement follows an earlier disclosure by the Federal Government in June that funds had been released for the payment of five months of accumulated CATA to eligible university lecturers.
In a circular dated June 4, with reference number FME/IS/UNI/C.98/Vol.2/14 and addressed to vice-chancellors of federal universities, Alausa said the payment was part of the government’s efforts to ensure effective implementation of the renegotiated agreements with ASUU.
The development also followed complaints by ASUU over what the union described as the government’s “haphazard” implementation of the renegotiated agreement on earned academic allowances (EAA).
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, had told TheCable that the unpaid EAA had accumulated to 18 months as of May.
His comments came amid growing concerns across ASUU state chapters, with some warning of possible industrial action if the renegotiated agreements signed with the union were not fully implemented.