The Federal Government has announced the release of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) covering January to August 2026 for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Wednesday after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation and Quality Assurance for tertiary institutions.
This extends the implementation of the Federal Government’s revised remuneration package for academic workers beyond federal universities.
It also comes months after the government began moves to implement the allowance as part of its agreement with academic unions.
Alausa said the funds covering the eight-month period had been released to the affected institutions and that academic staff should begin receiving their payments through their respective institutions.
“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.”
CATA is an allowance designed to support academic workers with expenses connected to their professional responsibilities.
It covers areas such as academic publications, research, conferences, internet access, membership of learned societies and books.
The allowance became a major component of the revised remuneration arrangement for university academic staff following the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The agreement, signed in January 2026, provided for a 40 per cent upward review of the emoluments of university academic staff, with CATA incorporated into the new salary structure.
Earlier in the year, the Federal Government directed federal universities to commence payment of the allowance.
In June, the government also released funds for five months of accumulated CATA arrears owed to eligible academic staff in federal universities.
The National Universities Commission subsequently confirmed the release and directed attention to the settlement of the outstanding payments.
The latest announcement indicates that the government has now extended the payment covering January to August to academic staff across federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Alausa said the government was also working on payments due to non-academic workers in the 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.
The minister linked the development to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the government had made staff welfare a major part of its education reform programme.
“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 new remuneration arrangements have been presented by the government as part of efforts to improve conditions of service for workers in tertiary institutions and address concerns over staff welfare.
The Federal Government and ASUU reached the 2025 agreement after prolonged negotiations over salaries, allowances, working conditions and other issues affecting the university system.
Under the agreement, the reviewed academic remuneration took effect from January 1, 2026.
CATA was introduced as a distinct component of the package, alongside the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary, CONUASS.
The allowance is intended to provide lecturers with resources needed to carry out teaching, research and other academic duties without bearing the entire financial burden personally.
The minister also said the government’s education programme was not limited to salaries and allowances.
“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 said the administration was working towards improving the standard of education available to Nigerian students at different levels.
“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 ministerial committee inaugurated by Alausa is expected to focus on accreditation and quality assurance across tertiary institutions.
Its work comes at a time when the Federal Government is seeking to strengthen standards and improve the quality of academic programmes in Nigerian institutions.
The government has repeatedly tied improved staff welfare to better outcomes in the education sector.
This latest CATA release is therefore expected to form part of the wider implementation of the new remuneration framework introduced in 2026.
The development also affects academic staff in federal polytechnics and colleges of education following separate remuneration arrangements approved for the institutions.
For polytechnics, the Federal Government approved a revised remuneration package following an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP.
The package includes CATA and Earned Academic Allowances, with implementation taking effect from January 2026.
The CATA component for these institutions covers expenses including journal and publication costs, learned society membership, conferences, internet access and books.