The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the federal government to clarify the eligibility clause in the payment of the newly released five months’ academic tool allowances to lecturers.
Chris Piwuna, president of ASUU, made the demand in an interview with TheCable on Sunday, noting that an ambiguous interpretation of the eligibility clause could trigger fresh crises across campuses if not addressed.
On Friday, the government said it had released funds for the payment of five months’ accumulated Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to eligible lecturers across universities.
CATA is a fixed allowance designed to provide academic staff with the essential tools needed for effective teaching and research.
It covers expenses related to journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society memberships and books.
The allowance was revised under the 2025 federal government-ASUU agreement signed on January 14, 2026, becoming a major component of the new remuneration package for university lecturers and forming part of the 40 percent upward review of their emoluments.
In a circular dated June 4, with reference number FME/IS/UNI/C.98/Vol.2/14 and addressed to vice-chancellors of federal universities, Tunji Alausa, minister of education, said the government had released funds for the payment of CATA arrears owed to lecturers since January, 2026.
Alausa said vice-chancellors had been directed to “ensure the immediate clearance of all outstanding CATA payments due to lecturers and other eligible academic staff” in their universities.
The minister added that the payment was in furtherance of the federal government’s commitment to the effective implementation of the renegotiated agreements signed with ASUU on January 14.
The ASUU president said a copy of the circular was also addressed to the union, but noted that “it is a misinterpretation to refer to all the allowances as CATA”.
“CATA is different from professorial allowance, and then you have EAA,” he said.
“We hope the vice-chancellors understand that. The government also introduced a word that will need further clarification. Eligible. What do they mean by eligible?
“We signed the agreement on behalf of all our dues-paying members. When you introduce such terms without clearly stating what you mean, those implementing it give different interpretations, causing confusion and overheating our campuses.”
The development follows a recent complaint by ASUU over what it described as the government’s “haphazard” implementation of the renegotiated agreement on earned academic allowances (EAA).
Speaking with TheCable, Piwuna said the unpaid EAA had stretched to 18 months as of May.
His comment comes amid growing agitations across ASUU state chapters, warning the government of imminent industrial action if the renegotiated agreements signed with the union are not fully implemented.
EAA is a duty-based allowance paid to academic staff for specific tasks performed beyond their regular teaching responsibilities.
Such duties include postgraduate supervision, external moderation, field work, industrial training supervision and other approved academic engagements.
Unlike CATA, which is paid as a standing allowance, EAA is earned only when the relevant duties are carried out.
In October 2025, the government said it released N2.3 billion to university-based unions to clear outstanding arrears.