The federal government has released the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, covering the period from January to August 2026.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday, after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.
CATA is a financial allowance designed to support academic staff in purchasing essential tools and materials needed for teaching, research and other academic activities.
Alausa said the payment was made in line with the provisions of the 2025 federal government- Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) agreement, reaffirming the government’s commitment to implementing the agreement.
According to the minister, all federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education have been notified to commence payment of the allowance to eligible academic staff.
“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 underway for the payment of the corresponding allowance to non-academic staff.
“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 another demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of workers in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
The minister said the administration’s education agenda is not limited to staff welfare, noting that government was also investing in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as basic and postgraduate education.
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He added that the government is committed to improving the quality of education available to Nigerian children and ensuring that the country’s education system meets 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,” the minister said.
The latest CATA release comes as the federal government continues to implement measures aimed at improving conditions for academic workers and strengthening the country’s tertiary education system.
