FG RELEASES CATA PAYMENTS TO UNIVERSITY, POLYTECHNIC AND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LECTURERS

Read Time:1 Minute, 43 Second

By; Sunmola Ganiyat

The Federal Government has released the full payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to academic staff of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the period covering January to August 2026.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.

CATA is an allowance designed to assist academic staff in procuring essential tools and materials needed for teaching, research and other academic responsibilities.

Alausa explained that the payment was made in line with the provisions of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

He said the Ministry of Education was pleased to confirm that the funds covering the eight-month period had been released to all federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

According to the minister, the affected institutions had been notified to commence payment of the allowance to their academic staff.

He also disclosed that arrangements were underway for the payment of the corresponding allowance to non-academic staff, expressing optimism that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks.

Alausa said the release of the allowance demonstrated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of both academic and non-academic workers in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

He noted that the administration had made staff welfare a priority as part of its broader efforts to improve the quality of education in the country.

The minister added that the government’s education reforms went beyond personnel welfare, pointing to investments in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.

He stressed that the administration was determined to ensure that Nigerian children had access to quality education capable of competing with global standards.

Alausa further described the President’s commitment to the education sector as transformative, saying the administration had continued to take steps towards fulfilling its promises to improve the sector.

He commended President Tinubu for what he described as a significant and transformative approach to education development in Nigeria.