CALABAR – A technical committee constituted by Governor Bassey Otu to review the working environment at the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has been tasked with resolving confusion surrounding two separate academic allowance structures – the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) – in a move that could determine the welfare of hundreds of academic staff at the state‑owned institution.
The 7‑member committee, chaired by Bishop Prof. U.U. Effiong, with Dr. (Mrs.) Glory Tony Effiong serving as Secretary, was inaugurated following a press release issued by the Secretary to the Government of Cross River State, Prof. A. Owan Enoh.
Among its eight terms of reference, the committee is specifically mandated to “review the relationship between Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) recently approved by the Federal Government and the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and recommend a sustainable framework for administration”.
The two allowances serve distinct purposes. CATA, which was introduced under the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), covers essential professional expenses including journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society memberships, and book allowances. It forms part of a 40 per cent upward review of academic staff emoluments that took effect from 1 January 2026.
In contrast, the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) comprises nine distinct allowances tied strictly to duties performed, including postgraduate supervision, industrial training and teaching practice supervision, honorarium for conducting oral examination, study grants, responsibility allowance, and excess workload allowance.
“CATA is different from professorial allowance, and then you have EAA,” an academic source was quoted as explaining, highlighting the potential for confusion among university administrators and staff.
The committee’s mandate to clarify the relationship between the two allowances comes amid ongoing labour challenges at UNICROSS. In recent months, non‑teaching staff of the university had protested over non‑payment of pension arrears, while the institution’s ASUU branch had joined a nationwide strike demanding implementation of agreements, payment of withheld salaries, and improved welfare packages.
Beyond the allowance review, the committee is also tasked with engaging university authorities and unions to resolve pending labour issues, assessing the university’s staffing structure to achieve the National Universities Commission’s recommended academic‑to‑non‑academic staff ratio of 3:1, and exploring alternative funding sources to support the university’s financial obligations.
The committee has been given two weeks from its inauguration to submit a comprehensive report with recommendations.
