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

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

CATA is a financial allowance designed to support academic staff in procuring essential tools and materials required for teaching, research and other academic activities.

Alausa said the release was in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN-ASUU) agreement, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to implementing its agreements with university workers.

“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,” the Minister said.

He added that the affected institutions had been notified to commence payment to eligible academic staff.

“All these institutions should have received notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff,” he said.

The Minister also disclosed that the payment of the corresponding allowance to non-academic staff was being processed, with funds expected to be made available in the coming weeks.

“And also, the payment to non-academic staff, we’re hoping that these funds will be made available, hopefully, in the next few weeks,” Alausa said.

He described the release of the academic tools allowance as another demonstration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of workers in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

According to him, the President has consistently prioritised the welfare of academic and non-academic staff as part of efforts to improve the quality of education nationwide.

“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 went 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 capable of competing with global 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,” Alausa said.

The Minister commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative approach to the education sector, stressing that staff welfare, infrastructure development and improved learning outcomes remained central to the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms.