The Federal Government says it has released funds for the payment of five months’ accumulated Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, CATA, to eligible academic staff in Nigeria’s federal universities.
The announcement was made in a letter issued by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and addressed to the Vice Chancellors of federal universities in the country.
The action, the government said is in fulfillment of its obligations under the 2025 agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The development comes few weeks after ASUU, the umbrella body of lecturers in Nigeria’s universities threatened to go on strike, after it accused the federal government of failing to fulfil its own part of the agreement reached with the University teachers on the issue.
According to Dr Alausa, in In a letter dated June 4, referenced FME/IS/UNI/C.98/Vol.2/14, the federal government stated that the payment was made in line with the provisions of the FGN-ASUU 2025 Agreement, adding that the government is committed to the welfare of university academic staff, and will ensure the goodwill with them.
The minster, therefore ,directed vice-chancellors to ensure the immediate payment of all outstanding CATA arrears to lecturers and other eligible academic staff in their institutions.
Alausa also directed university management to submit documents for immediate refund if they had already paid such allowances form their Internally Generated Revenue and other revenue sources.
ASUU had last month warned that Nigerian universities may witness another round of strike action over after alleging that the federal government was distorting implementation of the December 2025 agreement signed with the lecturers.
The warning was contained in a statement issued by Professor Christopher Piwuna after the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held at the Modibbo Adama University between 9 and 10 May.
Piwuna, had accused the government of failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee, IMC, which it said was designed to ensure the smooth execution of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the matter to prevent the universities from being shut down.
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