By Bakangi Sarah Bare
The Federal Government has announced the release of the full Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, CATA, covering January to August 2026 for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the development on Wednesday while speaking shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
According to the minister, the payment is being implemented in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities agreement.
CATA is a financial allowance designed to support academic staff with expenses related to teaching, research and other professional academic activities.
The allowance covers areas such as academic books, internet access, journal publications, conference attendance and membership of learned societies.
Alausa said the Federal Government had released the funds covering the period from January to August 2026 and that the affected institutions should have received notification to commence payment to eligible academic staff.
“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 payment of CATA to non-academic staff was also being processed, expressing optimism that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks.
The latest announcement follows an earlier release of funds for five months of accumulated CATA arrears for eligible academic staff in federal universities in June 2026.
The National Universities Commission said the earlier payment was part of the implementation of the renegotiated Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The 2025 agreement introduced revised welfare and remuneration provisions for university academic staff, including changes to academic allowances.
Earlier in 2026, the Federal Government also directed federal universities to implement the revised allowances and integrate the approved changes into their payroll systems.
Alausa described the latest payment as another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
He said the administration’s education reforms go beyond staff welfare, noting that the Federal Government is also investing in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as basic and postgraduate education.
The minister further stated that the government remained committed to ensuring that Nigerian children receive quality education capable of competing with standards anywhere in the world.
The payment is expected to provide financial relief to eligible academic staff who have been awaiting the allowance for the covered months.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government says the payment of the allowance to non-academic staff is still being process