The Federal Government has released funds for the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to academic staff of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education covering January to August 2026.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
According to the minister, the payment followed the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2025.
CATA is intended to assist academic staff in purchasing materials, equipment and other tools required for teaching, research and related academic duties.
Alausa said all affected tertiary institutions had been notified of the release and were expected to begin disbursing the allowance to eligible academic workers.
He said, “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.”
The minister added that the institutions should have received official notification to commence payment to academic staff.
However, Alausa did not disclose the total amount released by the government or the specific amount each beneficiary would receive.
While academic staff are expected to begin benefiting from the latest release, the minister disclosed that payment for non-academic workers was still being processed.
He expressed optimism that funds for the non-academic staff would be made available within the next few weeks.
According to him, the development reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare and working conditions of workers in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Alausa also highlighted other interventions by the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the education sector, saying the government had continued to invest in infrastructure across tertiary institutions.
He noted that government programmes had also extended to basic and postgraduate education, stressing that the administration’s education agenda goes beyond salaries and allowances.
The minister said the broader objective was to improve the quality of education available to Nigerian children and strengthen the country’s education system.
He further assured tertiary institution workers that the Federal Government remained committed to implementing agreements reached with their unions.
The latest payment is expected to provide financial support to academic staff and assist them in meeting some of the material and professional requirements associated with their teaching and research responsibilities.
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