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The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has urged vice-chancellors of federal universities to ensure the timely payment of eligible staff entitlements under the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTA) and Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
Alausa reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare, accountability in personnel funding and respect for university autonomy.
The minister made the call during a meeting with vice-chancellors, where he stated the need for university managements to fulfill their obligations to staff while ensuring the prudent and transparent use of public funds allocated for personnel costs.
He said the federal government had engaged relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Finance, to address funding challenges and facilitate the payment of outstanding arrears.
He said some universities made payments in January but subsequently encountered financial constraints as their available reserves declined.
He said government intervention helped resolve outstanding funding issues, with arrears reportedly paid up to September.
However, Alausa expressed concern over reports that some eligible university staff ware still experiencing delays in receiving their entitlements despite measures taken to address the funding challenges.
He urged vice-chancellors to work with relevant authorities to resolve outstanding cases and ensure that affected employees received their legitimate payments without further delays.
The minister stated that personnel allocations were based on approved wage bills and disbursed monthly, noting that changes in staff strength arising from retirements, attrition and other circumstances could affect actual personnel expenditure.
He stated that funds allocated for personnel costs must be used strictly for their approved purposes, adding that university managements had a responsibility to demonstrate transparency, prudent financial management and accountability in the administration of public resources.
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