The Federal Government has approved the release of funds for the payment of five months’ outstanding Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to eligible academic staff in federal universities, in what officials describe as another step towards implementing the 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The directive was conveyed in a circular issued by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and addressed to vice-chancellors of federal universities nationwide.
According to the minister, the release is in fulfilment of commitments made under the Federal Government-ASUU agreement signed earlier this year and is intended to support lecturers with resources required for teaching, research and professional development.
CATA is a statutory allowance provided to academic staff to cover expenses related to research activities, conference participation, internet services, academic publications, professional memberships and the acquisition of scholarly materials.
Alausa directed vice-chancellors to ensure the immediate payment of the allowance to all eligible beneficiaries and clear any outstanding obligations within their institutions.
The minister also instructed universities that had previously advanced funds from internally generated revenue or other institutional sources to cover the allowance to refund such expenditures to the appropriate accounts once federal allocations are received.
He further emphasised the need for strict compliance with financial regulations and proper documentation of all transactions relating to the disbursement.
The payment forms part of measures introduced under the Federal Government’s revised remuneration package for university lecturers, which included a 40 per cent upward review of academic staff emoluments.
The development comes amid renewed concerns by ASUU over delays in the implementation of other aspects of the agreement, particularly the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, recently disclosed that outstanding EAA arrears had accumulated over several months, warning that unresolved issues could trigger industrial action.
While CATA is a fixed allowance paid to support academic work, Earned Academic Allowances are performance-based payments tied to responsibilities such as postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, industrial training supervision, external moderation and other approved academic assignments.
The latest disbursement is expected to provide relief to lecturers and may help ease tensions between the Federal Government and university-based unions as discussions continue on the implementation of outstanding components of the 2025 agreement.
