Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government plans to expand its committee for monitoring the implementation of agreements with university lecturers to cover academic and non-academic staff unions across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the plan on Tuesday during the unveiling of the 2026 agreements between the government and staff unions in tertiary institutions. Alausa said the expanded Implementation and Monitoring Committee would track agreed milestones, assess progress, identify challenges and issue periodic reports on obligations fulfilled and those still outstanding.
He said the measure was intended to improve accountability and prevent unresolved disputes from undermining trust between the government and staff unions or disrupting academic activities. “These agreements give practical expression to that pledge: A promise made, A promise kept, and trust restored. Our duty now is to sustain this achievement through faithful implementation. Let me state clearly, on behalf of the Federal Government: We will fulfil our own part of these historic agreements,” the minister said.
The agreements cover the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU). They also provide for the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTTA) for non-teaching staff unions in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to the information provided, the allowances take effect from January 1, 2026, subject to the agreements and applicable implementation guidelines.
Alausa linked the agreements to President Bola Tinubu’s pledge that students should be able to complete four-year programmes within four years, an objective that depends partly on reducing disruptions to academic calendars.
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Hope Ajayi 
