FG releases 8-month consolidated allowance to non-academic staff
…moves to avert fresh crisis in tertiary institutions By Joseph Erunke, Abuja The Federal Government has released eight months’ arrears of the Consolidated Non-Academic Staff Tertiary Institutions Allowance, CONTA, to…
The Consolidated Non-Academic Staff Tertiary Institutions Allowance (CONTA) is a welfare package negotiated for non-teaching staff — including administrative, technical and support workers — in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, distinct from salary-related allowances already captured in regular pay. Unions representing this category of workers, such as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), have repeatedly gone on strike or threatened industrial action over delayed payment of such allowances, arguing that non-teaching staff are often sidelined in disputes that dominate headlines around academic unions like ASUU.
Unpaid allowances in the tertiary education sector have historically been a recurring trigger for industrial unrest that disrupts academic calendars nationwide. The coverage across outlets agrees that eight months' worth of CONTA arrears have now been disbursed, but none of the reports detail the exact amount released, the specific period covered, or whether this fully clears outstanding arrears owed to the unions — details likely to emerge as union leadership responds to the disbursement.