THE Federal Government has announced the full payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the period covering January to August 2026.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation, saying the development was in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing its agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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, in his remarks, said the payment was in accordance with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities agreement. The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to faithfully implementing the agreement.
He said, “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.”
The minister added that payment to non-academic staff was also being processed, expressing hope that the funds would be made 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.
According to Alausa, the payment was another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
“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.
The minister said the administration’s education reforms extended beyond staff welfare, noting that significant investments were also being made in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.
“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.
He added that the administration 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.
He commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative initiative in the education sector.
The development follows the implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU agreement, under which CATA forms part of the revised remuneration structure for academic staff. Earlier in June, the Federal Government released funds covering five months of accumulated CATA arrears for eligible academic staff in federal universities and directed vice-chancellors to clear outstanding payments.