The Federal Government has said it has released funds for the payment of eight months’ accumulated Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to eligible academic staff in federal tertiary institutions across the country.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the disclosure in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.

Dr Alausa said the payment was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations to academic staff and improving the welfare of workers in the tertiary education sector.

He explained that the release of the funds underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing the provisions of the renegotiated agreement with academic staff of tertiary institutions.

His words: “I am happy to announce that the CATA payment has now been settled by the federal government from January to August 2026, to all universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

“All these institutions should have received, as well as federal universities of agriculture. Every institution should have received their notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff”.

He disclosed that allowances for non-academic staff would be made available ‘in the next few weeks’.

CATA is a fixed allowance intended to equip lecturers with the resources they need to carry out their teaching, research and professional development responsibilities. It covers expenses such as journal publications, conference participation, internet services, membership of professional and learned societies, as well as the purchase of academic books.

The allowance was reviewed as part of the Federal Government’s 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), signed on January 14, 2026. It is a major component of the revised remuneration package for university lecturers and forms part of the 40 per cent increase in their overall emoluments.

The development comes against the backdrop of concerns recently raised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the implementation of the allowance.

At its recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in June, the union reviewed the implementation of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement and raised concerns over outstanding aspects of the new remuneration package, including CATA.

ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna also called for clarity on the eligibility criteria for the payment of the allowance, particularly the phrase “eligible academic staff,” warning that ambiguity could lead to different interpretations by university authorities.

The union stressed that CATA should be implemented in accordance with the agreement reached with the Nigerian Government and should not be confused with other components of lecturers’ remuneration, such as the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Professorial Allowance.