The Federal Government has released the 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, announced this on Wednesday while inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
Alausa explained that the allowance was designed to assist lecturers with the purchase of materials and equipment needed for teaching, research and other academic responsibilities.
According to him, the payment is part of the Federal Government’s implementation of its 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
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 also disclosed that arrangements were ongoing for the payment of the corresponding allowance to non-academic staff in tertiary institutions.
“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.
Alausa described the release of the allowance as part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to improve the welfare of workers in the tertiary education sector.
He said the administration was also investing in infrastructure and other areas of education, including 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,” the minister stated.
Alausa further said the government’s broader objective was to provide Nigerian children with education that would meet international standards.
“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,” he added.
