Okogwu, according to other sources, resigned to take directorship appointment at the African Development Bank (AfDB) headquarters at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire where Dr. Akinwumi Adeshina, Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Agriculture recently got elected as AfBD President.

Our correspondent gathered that Okogwu passed his resignation letter to the Presidency last week and a Director of Fiscal Department, Yahaya Gusau has replaced him in acting capacity.

Described as loyal and committed ally of the immediate Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, sources told our correspondent that his new job at AfDB was aided by Okonjo-Iweala.

Okogwu could not be reached for comment yesterday but a close confidant of his also confirmed both his resignation from the Budget Office and new appointment.

Okogu had been Director General, Budget Office of the Federation since December 2007.

His previous positions include Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington D.C., Senior Operations Officer at Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund and Market Analyst, OPEC Secretariat in Vienna, Austria.

Before his appointment as DG Budget, he served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance (2004 to 2007) and was also the pioneer Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

As a Special Adviser to the Finance Minister, he played a key role in the Economic Management Team in the formulation and implementation of the economic reform programme that culminated in the debt relief.

Okogu holds BSc and MSc degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics, and a Doctorate degree in Economics from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1954, AfDB is a multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries.

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The government took the position at the resumed stakeholders’ meeting on the doctors’ strike, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Health, to resolve the crisis.

Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the Federal Government had no money to pay the striking doctors, adding that the funds to meet the doctors’ demands were not captured in this year’s budget. “The easiest thing to say is: go and print money. But you know the implication. I won’t mention countries that are near us. Some of them are in deep trouble today because of issues like this.”

The minister, who was represented by the Director-General in the Budget Office, Bright Okogu, said “This competitive wage demand for increase is not sustainable and is not in the best interest of the nation. The wage bill has risen from N857 billion in 2009 to N 1.8 trillion in 2014.”

The minister who noted that acceding to the demands of the doctors would lead to an avalanche of requests from pharmacists, nurses and other categories of health workers, urged the Ministry of Health to have “a common sectoral approach to this issue”.

“I recognise the 22-year wait. This government is trying to address it. They (doctors) should trust the government for its intention to do something for them,” she said.

But the NMA said the error in salaries had been on for 22 years, adding that it magnanimously waived N257.03 billion of the money, insisting on at least six-month payment or half of the N13 billion arrears it is demanding, which included the professional fees of non-doctors.

NMA’s First Vice-President, Dr. Titus Ibekwe, who represented the President, Dr Kayode Obembe, said the association would only return to work after getting payment alerts.

The NMA president said the points of contention were in two categories: clinical governance and welfare. “We can’t promise to call off (the strike) unless we have a minimal thing we can return to our members with.”

Labour and Productivity Minister Emeka Wogu and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, begged the NMA to call off the strike in the interest of suffering Nigerians.

“I appeal to NMA to suspend the strike, particularly on the side of human sympathy. I appeal to them to consider the reality of the day and suspend the strike,” Nwogu said.

A member of the committee, Babatunde Adejare, suggested funding the doctors’ demands from the Service Wide Votes, but the Director- General in the Budget Office opposed the suggestion.

House Committee Chairman Ndudi Elemelu suggested that the Federal Government’s wage bills might be reduced, if teaching hospitals were privatised.

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