The Federal Government has released funds for the payment of eight months’ Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to lecturers in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.
Covering the period from January to August 2026, the disbursement forms part of the government’s implementation of commitments made under its agreement with academic staff, particularly the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The announcement was made in Abuja on Wednesday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, shortly after he inaugurated the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
Moreover, the affected tertiary institutions have been informed to begin processing the allowance for eligible academic staff.
CATA is designed to support lecturers with expenses associated with teaching, research and other academic responsibilities.
Alausa said the release was consistent with the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and university lecturers.
“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 said.
He added that the institutions should have received official notification to commence payment to academic staff, stressing that the government was also considering extending the allowance to non-academic workers in tertiary institutions.
Alausa described the release as part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to improve the welfare and working conditions of education-sector personnel.
Beyond staff-related interventions, the minister said the administration was also investing in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, while pursuing reforms in basic and postgraduate education.
According to him, the broader objective is to strengthen Nigeria’s education system and improve the quality of learning by ensuring that Nigerian students have access to standards comparable with those available internationally.