Jubilation as Nigerian Govt pays university, polytechnic lecturers’ tools allowance

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

Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, announced this on Wednesday during the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.

CATA is a financial allowance provided to academic staff to support the purchase of essential tools and materials required for teaching, research and other academic activities.

Alausa said the payment was in accordance with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN/ASUU) agreement and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its implementation.

He said, “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 added that payment to non-academic staff was also being processed.

“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.

According to Alausa, the payment was another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in the nation’s 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.

Alausa said the administration’s education reforms extended beyond staff welfare, noting that significant investments were also being made in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in 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 administration was committed to ensuring that Nigerian children receive quality education that can compete with standards anywhere in the world.

“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.

He commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative initiative in the education sector.