Academic staff across Nigeria’s federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are set to receive long-awaited payments after the Federal Government approved full disbursement of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for January to August 2026.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the release on Wednesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
For lecturers, CATA is meant to cover basic teaching and research materials, from journals and lab equipment to internet subscriptions and stationery that many have funded out of pocket in recent years.
Alausa said the payment follows the terms of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
“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 noted that the process for non-teaching staff is also underway.
“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 framed the disbursement as part of the Tinubu administration’s pledge to improve conditions for staff in 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.
Beyond allowances, the minister said the government was also putting money into campus infrastructure and across 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.
He added that the broader goal is to raise education standards nationwide.
“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.
