By Adeola Kunle
The Federal Government has released the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) covering eight months, from January to August 2026, for academic staff of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the development on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
CATA is a financial provision designed to assist academic staff in obtaining essential tools, materials and resources needed for teaching, research and other academic responsibilities.
According to Alausa, the latest payment is in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN/ASUU) agreement, reaffirming the government’s determination to implement the agreement.
The minister said the funds had been released to the relevant institutions and that academic staff should begin receiving their payments.
“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.
“All these institutions should have received notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff.”
Alausa also disclosed that arrangements were underway for the payment of the allowance to non-academic staff.
He said the funds for the non-academic personnel were expected to become available within the next few weeks.
“And also, the payment to non-academic staff, we're hoping that these funds will be made available, hopefully, in the next few weeks,” he said.
FG Reaffirms Commitment to Staff Welfare
The minister described the release of the eight-month allowance as further evidence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic personnel in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Alausa said the President had consistently placed staff welfare and the improvement of education quality among the priorities of his administration.
“This is another indication of President Bola Tinubu's commitment to our academic and non-academic staff. 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.
According to the minister, the government’s education agenda goes beyond remuneration and welfare packages for workers, as the administration is also investing substantially in infrastructure across tertiary institutions.
He noted that attention was equally being given to basic and postgraduate education as part of the broader reform programme.
“Beyond prioritising the welfare of our staff, he has also significantly invested in infrastructure at all our tertiary institutions and also basic and postgraduate education,” Alausa said.
Quality Education Remains a Priority
Alausa further stated that the Federal Government was determined to provide Nigerian children with an education that meets internationally competitive standards.
He said President Tinubu was deeply committed to education and had gone beyond his initial promises in pursuing improvements across the sector.
“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 of Education commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative approach to education and for the administration’s efforts to improve both the welfare of education personnel and the quality of learning infrastructure across the country.
Adeola Kunle
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