- FG Clears Five Months of Lecturers’ Academic Tools Allowance
- CATA is a statutory allowance provided to lecturers to support teaching, research, and professional development
- ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, recently disclosed that outstanding EAA payments had accumulated to 18 months as of May 2026
The Federal Government has approved and released funds for the payment of five months’ accumulated Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to eligible academic staff in federal universities across Nigeria.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the approval was communicated in a circular dated June 4, 2026, and signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The directive was addressed to vice-chancellors of federal universities nationwide.
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CATA is a statutory allowance provided to lecturers to support teaching, research, and professional development. The allowance covers expenses such as academic publications, conference participation, internet access, professional association memberships, and the purchase of academic materials and books.
The payment forms part of the implementation of the Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) 2025 agreement signed on January 14, 2026. It is also linked to the 40 per cent upward review of academic staff remuneration approved under the agreement.
According to the minister, the release of the funds demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the agreement reached with ASUU.
“I write to inform you that the Federal Government has released funds for the payment of five months Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to eligible academic staff of federal universities, in accordance with the provisions of the signed FGN/ASUU 2025 Agreement and in fulfilment of the Federal Government’s commitment to effective implementation of the agreement,” the circular stated.
Alausa directed vice-chancellors to ensure the immediate settlement of all outstanding CATA payments owed to eligible academic staff in their institutions.
The minister also instructed universities that had previously used internally generated revenue (IGR) or other institutional funds to pay the allowance from January 2026 to refund such expenditures to the appropriate university accounts once the federal allocation is received.
He further urged university authorities to maintain proper documentation of all transactions and ensure full compliance with existing financial regulations governing public institutions.
The development comes amid concerns raised by ASUU over what it described as delays in the implementation of other aspects of the 2025 agreement, particularly the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, recently disclosed that outstanding EAA payments had accumulated to 18 months as of May 2026, warning that continued delays could lead to industrial action.
Unlike CATA, which is paid as a regular allowance, EAA is earned for additional academic responsibilities such as postgraduate supervision, fieldwork coordination, industrial training supervision, external moderation, and other approved duties performed beyond routine teaching responsibilities.
The union has continued to press for the full implementation of all provisions of the 2025 agreement, with several ASUU branches expressing dissatisfaction over delays in settling outstanding obligations.
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