The Federal Government has released the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, covering the eight-month period from January to August 2026.
The Honourable Minister of Education (HME), Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
CATA is an allowance designed to support academic staff in procuring essential tools and materials required for teaching, research and other academic activities.
Dr. Alausa said the payment was in line with the provisions of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to him, “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 disclosed that the Federal Government was also processing the payment of the allowance to non-academic staff, expressing optimism 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.
Dr. Alausa said the release of the allowance further demonstrated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of workers in the nation’s tertiary institutions, particularly academic and non-academic staff.
“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.
He explained that 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,” the Minister said.
Dr. Alausa reiterated the administration’s commitment to providing Nigerian children with quality education capable of competing with global 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 said. The Minister commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative initiative in the education sector.